A Second Chance - Initium Novum
by Commissar Adrian
Summary: Jaune, Cardin, and Yue have experienced much in their lives. Death and loss being the foremost. Yet, they are given a chance to go back and start anew. Armed with their knowledge of the future, they are intent on changing things for the better. Yet changes often bring effects and not all of those are positive. Sci-fi elements present. AU. Timeskip.
1. Chapter 1 - A Dark Time

**RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Roosterteeth. Legal copyright stuff. Etc. Etc.**

**So this is my first fan fiction! After reading dozens of RWBY fanfictions I thought to try my hand at it as well. Anywho I felt I should make some things clear here.**

**First off this involves an AU and timeskip. Therefore while some things will remain canon, other aspects will be different from the show. That also means you will be seeing some of your beloved characters ACTING OUT OF CHARACTER. I apologize if you dislike that, but it will be present.**

**Secondly, I will be using sci fi elements in this story. Cybernetics, warships, etc. Things of that nature.**

**Thirdly, I will also explore my thoughts on the nature of aura and the various uses it might have. Since our knowledge of it is still relatively small, I will be playing around with it quite a bit.**

**Alright then. I believe that should suffice. So without further ado, here is the first upload!**

**Revision 1 : Dec 2014**

**Revision 2 : Jan 2015**

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><p><strong>Outskirts of Vale<strong>

**August 22nd, 2126 : Morning**

The Osprey tore through the clouds, its engines spitting out blue flame. It suddenly dived and righted itself just above the forest line. As it roared over the treetops, several dark shapes plummeted from the sky to give chase. The pilot flying the Osprey smiled and tapped a button. The craft's dual 20mm Vulcans swiveled and spat out fire, tearing the beasts into pieces.

"Another two kills for the book," chuckled the co-pilot as he continued to study his monitors.

The pilot just grunted in response. His hands were still gripped tightly around the controls and his eyes continued to scan the skies above him through his helmet's visor. He couldn't let his guard down. Several of his buddies had already fallen prey in this zone and he wasn't inclined to join them anytime soon. If he made one wrong move, it would spell doom for him and all aboard.

However he allowed a fragment of his mind to re-run the briefing he had sat through earlier that day. Normally the Osprey, the bigger and meaner brother to the Bullhead, was reserved for only the most dangerous of missions. But in his opinion, according to what he had been told, the current mission didn't warrant his or his plane's presence. Something was going on and he didn't like it.

Just then a flashing light on his instrument panel caught his attention. It was an indicator he had set up prior to them taking off. They were getting close to their destination. He keyed his mic to inform the men that were waiting in the back.

"Heads up," he said, "We're almost at the drop point. E.T.A five minutes."

"Copy."

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><p>Cardin turned and finished strapping on his helmet over his orange hair. "Alright men. Listen up," he said as he faced the thirty men under his command. Each one had their face turned to him, their bodies clad in light grey combat armor. "Remember our objective. We are to secure the crash site of the downed Hummingbird and allow Specialist Dove the chance to extract the craft's black box. It contains vital information that will assist in our future encounters with the Grimm. Do you all understand?"<p>

"Sir, Yes, Sir!"

"Very good. Check over your gear one more time and make sure you have everything you need. That is all." Leaving his men to their own devices, he walked over to where his partner Russel stood with Dove and Sky.

"So ready to get this show on the road Cardin?" Russel asked while running a comb through his short, light green hair. "It's been awhile since we've gotten together like this."

Cardin shook his head and stared at Dove and Sky. "Well it's not my fault that a particular duo decided to take a trip to Vacuo out of nowhere. For two years no less!"

Sky shrugged his shoulders while letting out a small laugh. "Oh c'mon. We told you guys about it. Hell we even asked you to come with us!" He nudged his partner and asked," Isn't that right Dove? "

"Quite right Sky," Dove responded with a slight crease of his lips.

"Well I guess I forgot then," Cardin grumbled, resting his hands on his waist. Letting out a sigh, he shook his head again and said, "Still it's good to see you guys again. I can't wait to show you how much stronger I got!" He patted his axe,which hung from his belt, and curled his lips in anticipation. He could already see the Grimm falling before his strikes.

"Tsk tsk Cardin. Ever the battle junkie," Dove chided. "Why I bet you could kill the Grimm with just your head considering how swelled it is!"

Before Cardin could respond, the pilot's voice barked over the intercom. "Look alive! We're here!"

The aircraft slowed and made a pass over the crash site, the pilot searching for any signs of movement among the wreckage. Finding none, he switched flight modes and hovered in place. His co-pilot flipped a few switches and gave him a thumbs up. He punched the all clear button.

Seeing a green light buzz on, Cardin grinned and winked at Dove. "Well time to get to work then!" The loading ramp lowered and he jumped out. As he landed, his aura flared to soften the impact. Russel and Dove landed near him, quickly followed by Sky. Meanwhile his soldiers rappelled down and immediately started to fan out to secure the perimeter.

Cardin keyed his mic and turned toward the hovering Osprey. "Thanks for the ride. We're call when we need extraction."

"No need," the pilot said. "We were told to remain on site to provide support. Not to mention we just got word another bird will be here shortly to reinforce us."

"Huh, now that's news I like. Well keep a sharp eye out. We don't know what can happen."

"Affirmative."

Cardin shook his head then turned to begin issuing orders. "Alright then. Dove, time for you to get to work. Sky, you watch his back. Make sure nothing touches him. Russel, take a squad and patrol the area. The rest of you, start digging in. I want overlapping fields of fire and kill-zones set up."

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><p>The Osprey's guns clicked as they ran out of ammo.<p>

As if on cue, a mass of Grimm surged forward and smashed into the defenses Cardin and his men had been able to set up.

"Stay strong men!" Cardin roared as he parried a swipe from an Ursa. Spinning, he smashed his axe into the beast's skull and then kicked its lifeless body away as another rose to take its place. He didn't know how many Grimm he had killed, as satisfying as it was. He just knew that many of his men lay dead or dying. Cleaving in two the last Grimm still standing in front of him, he turned to survey the field.

Near him, Dove ducked and sunk his sword into the gut of a Beowolf that had been poised to finish Russel, who lay on the ground unconscious and bleeding from a gaping chest wound. The Beowulf shrieked in pain, but it still reached for the unconscious man. Dove swung again, burying his blade deep in the Grimm's chest. It collapsed almost instantly in a hot spray of blood and the man had to dodge to avoid being soaked.

Sky ran in then, needle and bandages in his hands. He took one look at the wound on Russel's chest and winced. "Cardin!" he shouted, "I can't do much with this! We need to get Russ to a proper facility if we're to have any chance at saving him!"

Growling, Cardin called the Osprey that still hovered overhead. "Pilot! Where's that other ship?"

"I'm sorry Lieutenant, but it's still five minutes out. Perhaps if you could make for another-"

Cardin cut him off angrily. "That's not possible! We have several men down here with severe injuries. To move them would hasten them to their death!"

"You might soon not have a choice Lieutenant. There's a massive group of Grimm gathering just a short distance away. And unfortunately my ship is out of ammunition. We won't be able to provide any support."

"Shit!"

Cardin's mind raced as he tried to find a solution. Unfortunately every path led to the same answer. While most of the injured could be helped along by another, Russel was a different case entirely. Clenching his fists, he was about to speak when he heard Russel's voice. Turning, he was amazed to see his partner conscious and grinning at him.

"Go...Cardin. Get...away." The man coughed and blood dribbled down his chin. Waving away Sky's hands, he continued, "Too late...for us...go...live..." One of his hands struggled to rise, but it did and formed a fist with the thumb sticking up. "Go...partner." The light disappeared from the man's eyes and the hand fell.

"Shit!" Sky instantly tried reviving Russel, but stopped when Cardin spoke up.

"That's enough Sky," Cardin said, tearing his eyes from Russel's corpse. "He's already gone. We can't stay here any longer."

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><p>"Damn. I...can't...keep...run-" Dove's gasps were cut short as a massive spike tore through his chest and pinned him to the ground.<p>

Cardin bit back his grief and kept running as his arms tightened around the black box that Dove had given him. He wondered once again if the box was truly worth all the death that he had seen. His entire platoon was ripped to shreds and two of his closest friends were dead. Only Sky remained, his steps following closely behind.

As they made it to the clearing, they were both surprised when they heard a voice yell out.

"GET DOWN!"

Throwing themselves to the ground, Cardin and Sky could gape in shock.

Several Ospreys hovered, pouring fire into the tree line. Multiple Paladins and dozens of Atlesian Knights marched past them, adding their own fury to the mix. As the reinforcements massacred the Grimm, one Osprey landed. Several medics rushed out with stretchers and lifted the 2 living hunters onto them.

With great effort Cardin reached up and grabbed one of the medics, handing him the black box. "This had better been worth it." he rasped before slipping unconscious.

The medic simply looked down at the bloodied hunter. "It's never worth it," he whispered sadly.

It was just a dark day in the world of Remnant.

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><p>One of many that had started a few years back.<p>

Grimm attacks had been on the rise. At first it had just been more frequent attacks against outlying villages and towns. Lives were lost but hunters and huntresses were able to keep the casualties to a minimum. Many paid little to no attention to the attacks; they were random and the number of Grimm in each attack never exceeded a few dozen. They were written off as unfortunate events and left at that.

There were also isolated instances like Cardin's, where the number of Grimm far exceeded the amount that should have existed. But officials simply attributed it to faulty intelligence. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary. There were many times where intel on site was spotty at best. They took their lumps and just believed they had to do better next time. Things were still stable.

It was only when Argent was attacked that it started falling apart.

Argent was a modest city, with a population of approx. 35,000. It's primary resources were precious metals and ore such as its namesake and iron. Due to this and its location on the borders of Vale, the city had a larger than average police force and a military base stationed just outside the city. All told, if one were to look back on the records 1 out of every 10 citizens in Argent served in a combative role.

Not to mention it was also a frequent stop for hunters and huntresses because of its very wide selection of weaponry and armour. It also boasted an extensive defensive system with automated turrets, minefields, robotic sentries, and bunkers; a defensive system that had proved itself multiple times in the past.

So when people referred to Argent, they called it the Fortress of Silver.

A fortress that then collapsed in a single day.

Untold numbers of Grimm had assailed the city and despite everything the defenders had thrown at them, the city had been completely overrun and destroyed. Countless people died in the massacre that followed. Out of the 35,000 that had called Argent home, only approx. 3,000 escaped.

When this news hit the councils of the 4 kingdoms, they had been shocked into silence. As their minds had rushed to process the information, more reports had rapidly started to come in about other attacks. Other towns, villages and cities lost. It was as if the attack on Argent was a signal and now the full might of Grimm was bearing down on each kingdom.

Shock was quickly replaced with fear, then anger and finally determination. Plans were made, ironed out, then acted upon.

Rapid response teams were formed and sent to hold back the attacks, while the people could be evacuated from the outlying areas. To hold the Grimm back until the full might of each kingdom's armies could be mobilized. The various Hunter academies such as Beacon were contacted and told to call in all their outlying fighters for this reason. Once the armies were mobilized they had went on the attack, slowly taking back lost ground. Morale was high among combatants and the front lines kept moving forward.

That is until Atlas fell. The world's most powerful military and technologically advanced kingdom. Destroyed.

People were shocked. How could something like that happen? Atlas had been the leader of the four kingdoms. Their generals were unmatched in the art of war. Their lowest ranked soldiers were a match for most normal hunters and huntresses. Their factories were able to churn out hundreds of Atlesian Knights and dozens of Paladins every day. They boasted the largest air force to ever grace the skies of Remnant. Their navies almost endless, countless troop carriers and warships constantly patrolling the waters.

And yet it still had fallen. Somehow the Grimm were able to overwhelm the mighty kingdom. They had forced the Atlas armies back to their capital city, where a great battle had been waged for many days and nights. A battle though that ultimately ended when Atlas's palace was overrun. The survivors had scattered to the four winds.

Morale had quickly plunged and despair spread among the remaining 3 kingdom's and their armies. How could they win if Atlas couldn't? Desertion became a common problem and Hunters and Huntresses became overwhelmed with trying to plug in the gaps. They soon began to fall, quicker and quicker, as their numbers dwindled.

Strangely though, the Grimm seemed to pull back a little after Atlas. The three kingdoms capitalized on this and shouted out to the world. "Look! Atlas might have fallen, but the Grimm have retreated! Atlas must've wounded them severely. Now isn't the time to lose hope. We can still fight! We can still win!"

Slowly the deserters came back. Enlistment sluggishly went up. People became hopeful again. They started to fight with renewed conviction. Defense lines were redrawn, new fortifications made and manned. Blueprints for Atlas war machines were found and put to us. Even the survivors from Atlas finally reunited and they were used as propaganda tools. "See? Atlas the kingdom might have fallen, but Atlas the people still live! They still fight on! You can too!"

But then Mistral fell.

After the renewed surge in confidence, Mistral had taken the reins as the leader of the remaining kingdoms. They had quickly established themselves as the new military powerhouse. Their armies had swelled rapidly and soon exceeded the numbers that Atlas once had. The few surviving generals from Atlas led the way. They were powerful. They were confident. They still died. Much like Atlas, Mistral's armies were smashed and broken.

The shock from this loss was felt even deeper than with Atlas. Hope became something akin to fairy tales. Something that didn't exist. People died in their sleep, no matter the age, as if they had just decided that living was too hard. Despair filled the hearts of many. Only a few still believed they could fight.

Those few, as a last ditch attempt, convinced the two remaining kingdoms to pool their resources together. To relocate to the city of Vale and use Beacon Academy as their central base of command. They reinforced and built the city up, until it could hold the majority of those left. They convinced everyone still determined to live that there still was a chance. They only had to wait.

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><p><strong>Joint Valean-Vacuo HQ<strong>

**June 24th, 2128 : Morning**

"Jaune you realize what you ask of me and my men? We've been fighting for eight days straight now. We need to rest, not be thrown into another battle."

"Don't tell me something I don't already know Cardin," grimaced Jaune. Rubbing one of his hands, now scared and weathered, he glanced down at the map that he had been studying until the man had walked in. Their defenses were barely holding and if the Grimm broke through in even one area, the entire city of Vale could end up lost.

Raising his head, he studied the man in front of him. A person who used to bully him back during his first year at Beacon was now one of his most reliable and compassionate officers. A man that would do anything to protect those under his command. _(Funny how the years could change a person.)_

Which is why his next words were slightly strained. "I'm sorry Cardin, but you know how dire our situation is. Right now the 2nd Knight Battalion is the only one I can count on to hold this pass. If we were to lose it the Grimm would then be able to circle around and attack Ren's unit from behind. If that were to happen..." He trailed off. He didn't want to finish the sentence.

Cardin looked at him and sadly smiled to Jaune's bewilderment. He rested his hands on the table and looked at the map. His reply came quietly, "I know Jaune. I know..."

Stepping back he looked over at his General and thought of days past. After the Forever Fall incident, he had tried to make amends between his team and the rest of Beacon. He had been blinded then of false grandeur and had mistaken fear for respect. It was only after many months that his team and him were finally able to redeem themselves in the eyes of the student body. A feat that he carried with great pride and that wouldn't have been possible if the blond haired man in front of him hadn't helped.

The two of them looked at each other in silence until a white-haired man rushed into the room; his great coat flapping behind him. Both looked at him in surprise and noticed how his weapon of choice, _Ave Imperator, _was out. The man doubled over and leaned against the table trying to catch his breath.

"Yue?" questioned Jaune, "What's going on? What happened?"

"The...Grimm...Sector Five...heavy attack...need...reinforcement," Yue was able to gasp out.

"No..." whispered Jaune, his face going pale. He looked down at the map and quickly located the mentioned sector. It was a key location in their plans and was under the command of Colonel Pyrrha, his partner of many years. If it fell the areas around it would quickly buckle and collapse. He made his decision quickly.

Running out of the room, he shouted instructions at one of his communication officers, "Lieutenant! Inform the 422nd and 162nd Rifle Companies to converge on Sector Five's location! Get the 25th and 26th Artillery Batteries to provide heavy fire support." Turning to another, "You! The 4th Silver Hawk Squadron was just sent off to bomb the areas around Sector Two. Have them re-routed immediately to Sector Five." As the two men rushed to relay his commands, Jaune turned to the commander of the company tasked to guard his HQ. "Captain. I know you're not going to like this, but I need to send you and your men to reinforce the Colonel."

The man clearly didn't like it judging from the set of his jaw and tried arguing the matter. "But sir! Our job is to protect this area and more importantly you. We cannot just leave you undefended!"

Jaune let out a loud laugh. He unsheathed his sword and twirled it around in his hands, his eyes hard. "But you see Captain, you won't be leaving me unprotected. Because I'm going to be heading there myself." Not waiting for a response he marched off, pausing to grab his shield off a rack on the wall along the way.

The Captain gaped at his charge and stood there shocked until he collected himself. He cursed silently and started issuing orders to his unit through his helmet mic.

Cardin and Yue, the later finally able to get his breath back, left the map room and saw Jaune's receding back. Having a feeling that they would be needed, they quickly followed.

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><p>The roar of gunfire and screams met Jaune's ears as his APC rolled to a stop. The battlefield spread out before him. The smell of blood and ash was thick in the air as men and women struggled against an immeasurable tide of Grimm. Seeing several points where the line was about to break, he issued commands to the soldiers with him. He saw Cardin do the same with his own company and felt a small measure of relief. With the reinforcements they had brought and the ones on route, they would have the manpower to avoid a potential disaster.<p>

"Jaune!"

He would recognize that voice anywhere. Looking to the source of the shout, he smiled. His partner looked as radiant as ever, clad in her bronze armor that still maintained its sheen despite the conditions around her. Her blazing red hair was pulled into a ponytail and her face had a relieved smile as she walked over. "Pyrrha!" he called out in response while hopping down from his vehicle. "I came as soon as I could."

"Well your timing couldn't have been perfect," she said as she came to a stop in front of him. Pulling Jaune into a hug, she whispered, "I'm glad you're here."

"I am too." He wrapped his arms around her and gripped tightly.

The two held each other, enjoying each other's presence and momentarily forgetting about the battle that raged on near them.

"Jaune." Yue's voice brought them back to reality.

As they let go of each other, they turned and faced the man, both their faces slightly red.

Yue shook his head in amusement. "There will be plenty of time for some skin ship later, but only once this day is won." He inserted a dust capsule into his sword and chuckled. "And that will only happen once we kill everything within our sight." Winking at the two, he walked off. Flourishing his weapon before him, he shouted to the men and women fighting. "Alright ladies! Let's show these foul beasts how strong we really are! Push them back and make them rue the day they decided to fight us!" A ragged cheer rose and he grinned, tearing into the nearest Grimm.

Jaune chuckled. "He's right. Well then partner, ready to dance together again?"

"Of course Jaune."

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><p>Artillery fire rumbled and shook the ground. Countless shells reaped chaos among the Grimm horde. A squadron of fighters roared overhead, followed by several more. They released their payloads before peeling off. Countless bombs exploded and tossed Grimm bodies into the air. Yet they still came. It seemed endless.<p>

Jaune hacked and cut with ruthless determination as he searched for Pyrrha. The two had gotten separated in the thick of the fighting and he needed to know if she was still safe. As he was about to charge forward again, he felt a tap on his shoulder and quickly stepped back. A row of riflemen unleashed a barrage of fire once he did so, killing the Grimm he had been about to engage. As he nodded thanks to the Sergeant in command, he noticed the man was pointing at something. Following the direction of the man's hand, Jaune saw Pyrrha surrounded by Grimm off in the distance.

Fear formed in the pit of his stomach and his mouth went dry. He pushed toward her, his mind in panic. The Sergeant following behind with his squad as they supported him. Little by little they got closer, carving a path through the Grimm that swarmed around them. Jaune kept his eyes on Pyrrha the entire time, praying that he would be able to get to her before anything happened.

Yet, just as they were to reach her, time seemed to slow. Unnoticed by his partner, an Ursa Major that she had just cut down was getting back up behind her. As he tried to shout a warning, he felt his voice catch and only a gasp came forth from his lips. As the Ursa Major started to bring one of its claws down onto her unprotected back, Jaune's mind raced to try and find a way to help her; each idea more ridiculous than the last.

Faced with the knowledge that he was powerless to help her, he could only scream internally as his partner was torn almost in two by the Ursa. Her head, separated by the sheer force of the blow, had a look of surprise on her face. Then it was gone, swallowed by the Ursa that had killed her.

"NOOO!"

Flying into a rage, Jaune threw himself at the Grimm closest to him, leaving his escort behind.

Cardin and Yue, though further away, also witnessed Pyrrha's death. But they quickly shook off their shock when they realized that Jaune had put himself into a similar situation she had been in. Determined to prevent another one of their friends from dying that day, they dove in.

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><p><strong>Enjoy! Oh and follow, favorite, review, etc if you can!<strong>

**- Commissar Adrian of the Mordian Iron Guard**


	2. Chapter 2 - Renewal

**RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Roosterteeth. Legal stuff. Support the official release. Etc. Yadda yadda yada.**

**Revision 1 : Dec 2014**

**Revision 2 : Jan 2015**

**Revision 3 : Feb 2015**

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><p><strong>Sector Five<strong>

**June 24th, 2128 : Afternoon**

Jaune's aura burned fiercer than it ever had before, covering him in it's brilliant light as he lashed out at the Grimm around him. Each time his sword fell another Grimm died, their bodies incinerated by white flame.

A massive Ursa roared forward and attempted to maul him, it's claws dripping with blood. He smashed it in the snout with his shield and followed through with a thrust from his sword. The Grimm was launched backwards with a massive hole in its chest, fire already spreading from the wound. It died, howling in agony, as it's body fed the flames.

Twisting to avoid a savage slash from a Beowolf, Jaune used the momentum from the spin to slice the offending Grimm in two. It's blood sprayed over him, drenching his head with even more blood. His once blond hair only became more red as the liquid soaked in.

Roaring, he screamed and unleashed a tremendous amount of aura from within his body. It raced outward and enveloped the Grimm around him in it's white light. As it faded, every Grimm that had been caught in the blast had vanished.

Breathing heavily from the exertion, Jaune blinked back the tears he felt rising up. He still couldn't believe that Pyrrha was really gone. _(I'll never again see her sweet smile. Never again feel her body next to mine.)_

Continuing forward to meet the next group of Grimm, he suddenly slipped on something and fell on his face. His sword and shield went flying to land a short distance away. Picking himself up, he looked back to see what he had stepped on. His body froze when he saw the golden sheen of Milo, Pyrrha's weapon.

The tears finally broke lose like water from a dam. They spilled over his cheeks and ran down his face. Crawling over to the weapon, he let out a cry when he saw that the hand of her partner was still clenched around its hilt. The rest of her body was nowhere to be seen. Moving carefully, he gently pried Pyrrha's fingers from Milo and then stood up. Staring at the weapon, he marveled at how flawless it looked even after all the years of abuse that had been thrown at he smiled. _(Well Pyrrha always did take good care of her weapons.)_

Touching the flat of the blade to his forehead, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He ignored the sounds around him and focused on the weapon that he held in his hand, letting his aura flow around it. He stayed like this for a few seconds before opening his eyes. His free hand reached out and his sword flew at him, its hilt smacking into his palm. His shield meanwhile flew onto his back and clipped onto his armor.

Spinning, he ducked as a Nevermore flew down at him, its talons just missing his head. Not missing a beat, he transformed Milo into its carbine state and fired off three shots in quick succession. The rounds pierced the Grimm's left eye and drilled into it's brain. The Nevermore quickly dropped from the sky and fell ontop a pack of Beowulves, crushing them underneath its body.

Jaune turned to face an oncoming mass of Grimm and transformed Milo back into its xiphos form. He smiled again when it shone with a red light. While Pyrrha was indeed gone, her spirit still lived on in her weapon. Spinning the two blades in his hands, he rushed forward and thought, _(Don't worry Pyrrha. Your place at the front will still remain. You will continue to be a beacon for those who still fight. Just like the others.)_

As he smashed into the wall of slashing claws and snarling jaws, part of his mind began to flash with memories. _(Indeed, just like the others. The others who had already gone on ahead.)_

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><p>Weiss and Ruby were the first ones. Inseparable as partners, they had both been in Atlas when it fell. They could've escaped, but they had refused to run. When the last Bullhead took off it was said that they both had been smiling before being engulfed in a sea of black.<p>

Yang had followed soon after. Traumatized by Ruby's' death she had become more reckless in combat. All it had taken in the end was one false step that had placed her in front of a charging Goliath without support. Her aura levels had been low and had been unable to protect her. They never did find all the pieces.

Then there was Nora. The indomitable Valkyrie. It had been a surprise when she went. Cut down by friendly fire out of all things. She had been in one of her destructive moods and had ignored the order to pull back. When the bombardment finally came her last words had been, "Sorry Ren, looks like l should've listened to you."

Ren had withdrawn into himself after that. He was still alive by physical standards, but mentally he was gone. Lie Ren the person had disappeared. The thing that replaced him still responded and took orders, but with all the emotion of an android.

As for Blake. She just disappeared one day. Yue had gone out to search for her, but always came back empty handed. Reports had her in Mistral before it fell, but her status was never confirmed.

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><p><em>(If only he could see them together again. What he would give...)<em>

His body was on auto-pilot. It ignored the wailing from his muscles, continuing to cut down anything that approached him. But it was struggling. No matter how strong his body was, it was nearing its limits. It had fought almost consistently for days prior to this battle with little to no rest or nourishment. And it was beginning to show. Reaction times slowed. More attacks began to land on his armour and body. His aura fought to protect him but it was failing. Even with the surge of power he got from Pyrrha's death was starting to diminish.

Spinning to cut another Beowolf down, he felt Crocea Mors catch on the beast's body and was dragged down with it as it died. As he wrestled to free the weapon, while fending off attacks with Milo, he knew he was in a dangerous spot. Cardin and Yue were still a distance away from him and wouldn't be able to help him if something happened. Feeling a large presence behind, he risked a glance and bit back a curse as he saw the Lowe. He gave one more tug on Crocea and celebrated when it came free.

Spinning around, he only managed to block the swipe the big Grimm threw at him. His feet dug into the ground, repelling its massive claw. Dimly he knew that he was no match for the beast in his current state. The things were larger than Ursa Majors, had tougher armor than even the oldest Death Stalkers, and had enough power to flatten Paladins.

As his mind raced to try and find a way out of the situation while blocking the continuing blows, he didn't notice Milo starting to crack from the strain. It started small at first, but quickly spread along the weapon. As Jaune swung to repel another swing from the Lowe, the weapon broke apart in his hand as it met the Grimm's attack. Shock on his face, he could only focus and try to withstand the blow, something he knew wasn't likely.

His aura shattered as it broke under the impact and he flew backwards to collapse on his back. His left arm was broken and he felt several ribs in places they shouldn't be. Gasping, he tried to breath, but found every attempt painful. Also try as he might, he couldn't call forth any aura. He was depleted.

The Lowe knew its prey was broken and decided to play with the manspawn that had killed so many of its brethren. It flicked all of its claws back into its paw except one, which it used to carve into the man's leg. Blood quickly spread from the wound.

Jaune knew he was screaming even though he couldn't hear it. His mouth was open and his eyes were clenched shut. Feeling the pressure on his leg lessen, he was able to open his eyes to see Cardin and Yue attack the Lowe. They were almost in as rough a shape as he was. Cardin's armor was in pieces and one of his arms jut out at an odd angle. Yue's sword was chipped and cracked and his face was covered in blood.

As Jaune watched, he saw the large Grimm recoil in pain as Cardin's axe met one of its legs. Cheering at the move, he tried to stay awake, but felt his consciousness slipping.

(Sorry guys, but I think I'm going to take a little nap.)

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><p><strong>Location Unknown<strong>

**Date Unknown**

_"Awake."_

With a start Jaune jumped up and drew his sword. Casting it before him, he looked for the source of the voice. Instead what he saw stunned him. The battlefield he had remembered lying in was gone. In its place lay a field of flowers stretching far into the horizon. He slowly lowered his sword once he realized no Grimm were around. A cool, calm wind blew across the field and he looked up, covering his eyes to shield them from the bright yellow sun overhead.

_(I must be dreaming.)_ He slapped himself to see if that was the case. _(No, guess not.) _Wondering where he was, he looked down and widened his eyes. His body was completely whole and undamaged. Even his armor was as pristine as the day he had first made it. Searching about, he saw a large tree a short ways away and decided to make for it.

Nearing the tree he saw Cardin and Yue lying underneath it, partially covered by flowers, their clothing and armor mended much like his own.

He sheathed his sword, and walked over. A chuckle burst from his lips when he realized they were sleeping. Shaking the two he said, "Hey. Hey guys. Wake up."

Cardin was the first to awake. As he sluggishly sat up grumbling, he rubbed his eyes and stared menacingly at whoever had woke him up. That stare soon turned into one of shock. "Jaune?" he whispered in disbelief as his eyes began to widen. He leaped forward and grasped the man by the shoulders before crushing him in hug. "My god," Cardin laughed, "I thought you had died! Shows you what I know, right?" Continuing to laugh he released Jaune and stepped back, his face split by a smile, while marveling at the miracle standing in front of him.

"Now, now Cardin," came a voice from their side.

They both turned and grinned at the white haired man who was staring at them with an amused expression on his face.

Yue got up and shook his head. "We both know Jaune is a hard man to kill, even at the worst of times." Smiling, he moved forward and shook Jaune's hand before also pulling him into a hug, although keeping it brief to avoid punishing the man's ribs anymore especially after Cardin's display of affection. He chuckled after releasing Jaune, "Yet, it is good to see you still in one piece. You had us worried."

Jaune grinned while rubbing his head, "Yea, well I have a hard head." He quickly grew serious and gestured around them. "In any case we need to figure where we are. I take it you guys can already tell we aren't in Vale anymore."

"Aye," confirmed Cardin, "Where the hell are we?"

_"Perhaps I can answer that noble warrior."_

Startled the three looked around. Jaune couldn't see who had spoken, no matter how carefully he searched. Yue and Cardin shrugged at him when he looked over at them. Wondering on what was going on he asked out loud, "Who's there?"

Silence. Time crawled ahead and he started to feel silly for just standing around. Suddenly a burst of light blinded him and his friends. As they blinked out the stars from their eyes, they were able to make out a bright, white light shining in front of them.

_"Forgive me noble warriors. Let me take a form more suitable for you."_

To their surprise, the voice was coming from the light! As they watched, it started to grow and change shape until a young woman stood in front of them. Her pale body was clad in a loose, pure white robe with a golden belt across her waist. Her face was framed by golden locks and calm, serene light blue eyes met theirs.

"W-Who are you?" gaped Jaune.

The young woman smiled. _"I am Hekate. The one who watches." _Her voice was soft but also processed a quiet strength to it. _"I congratulate you warrior," _she bowed slightly at Jaune before turning to Yue and Cardin and doing the same_, "and you two as well for finally making your way here."_

Jaune was confused and he knew it showed on his face. His friends were similarly bewildered. He shook his head and let out a laugh. "Where is here?"

Hekate stared at him curiously, as if the answer to the question was obvious.

_"This is the entrance to Elysium. The final stop before valorous warriors can finally rest in peace. You three have been brought here due to your heroic actions in life. "_

"WHAT!?" The three men were stunned into silence. Their bodies shook as various emotions played across their faces. Disbelief. Denial. Shock. Anger. Pain?

Seeing this Hekate frowned. _"Is this not to your liking warriors?" _She was intrigued. Most that passed through here were happy and sated, they were ready to pass through and reap the rewards of their lives. There were always some that denied it but it was always a weak denial. Yet the three passing today seemed different. She studied them closely and was surprised to find that their souls still held a connection to the material world. But that was impossible, since time immemorial such a thing has never happened. An idea occurred to her.

_"Nobles Warriors,"_ she began and noticed how quickly the three turned their attention to her. Slightly pleased she continued, _"I can see you have lingering connections to the world you have come from. While it is normally not my place, your feelings have been passed to me and I believe I can do something for you."_ She raised her hands and brought into existence two orbs of light, before moving them in front of the three men.

"What are these?" questioned Yue, eyeing them curiously. His need for information was overriding his other feelings. The other two remained silent, but cautiously observed.

_"The two orbs in front of you all represent two different times. Almost different worlds as things stand."_ She tapped each of the orbs and slowly images started moving around within each. She pointed at the one to her left. _"This one represents the time you left to come here. Full of conflict and death."_ She pointed to the one to her right. _"This one represents an earlier time, still untouched by war."_

Yue cut in, "Why are you showing us this?" His eyes were narrowed in suspicion but also interest.

Hekate tilted her head in thought then replied, _"Because young warrior, you three have interested me in a way mortals never have before. You still have purpose in your souls and I wish to see where this purpose leads. I wish to give you a choice."_ Pointing at herself another orb, although smaller, was brought into existence and was placed between the other two. _"This third orb represents myself. Using my powers I am able to bridge the gaps between different times and allow travel between the worlds. This is what I am offering you."_

Cardin scratched his head while looking at Hekate in confusion. "I'm sorry but I'm still not following. What choice are you giving us? Or offering based on how you put it? I'll be damned to be forced into a position that I don't have a solid idea about." He crossed his arms and growled, "Even if I am 'dead' as you put it."

"Agreed," said Jaune, "I'm still not following on what's going on. Are you perhaps saying you can revive us? And send us," he gestured at the orbs, "To one of those times?"

_"Precisely warrior. I can send you back to a moment shortly before your demise or if you so choose another time. A time where you believe you can fulfill your purpose in a better way. And in order to do so, I will keep your memories and knowledge intact."_ She saw their expressions and smiled. _"It is of course your choice. You may still move on to Elysium if you so wish."_

Yue already had made his decision and spoke up. "I want to go back to my first year at Beacon. There are things I should have done, but never did. Things I also did wrong that had disastrous consequences in the long-run. If I can change how things played out I will."

Jaune was nodding his head, deep in thought. "True. A lot of future events could have been easily prevented if we had only realized sooner of what was going on." He cracked a smile. "Although that is the same for many situations." Looking at Hekate he questioned, "What you have said, it is entirely within your power?"

_"I would not have made the offer if it wasn't, warrior."_

"Just making sure." Jaune looked at Cardin who was still thinking. "You're up."

"I know. I know. Just thinking bud." Cardin sighed deeply and muttered, "I know I have many things I would have done differently if I was ever given the chance. Hell! I even prayed for it a few times. Guess this means my prayers were answered!" He broke out laughing, clenching his sides as his body shook. Wiping a tear that had emerged, he straightened and stared at Jaune and Yue. "Yea, let's do this."

The three all turned and stared at Hekate, their mouths set and eyes clear. The woman bowed her head and waved away the orbs. _"You have made your choice noble warriors."_ Raising her hands once more she clapped her hands and a giant orb appeared above them. It slowly began to pulse. _"Once this light flashes, you will find yourselves where you wish to be."_

The light pulsed faster.

"Once there you may do whatever you chose."

The light started to glow brightly.

_"Good luck young ones."_

A flash lit the area and then slowly faded.

* * *

><p><strong>Airship Headed Toward Beacon Academy<strong>

**Sept 1st, 2115 : Morning**

"I can't believe my little sister is going to Beacon with me! This is the best day ever!"

"Please...stop..."

"Ohhhh but I'm so proud of you!"

"Really sis, it was nothing."

"What do you mean? What you did was incredible! Everyone at Beacon is gonna think you are the bee's knees!"

"Please Yang. I don't want to be the bee's knees. I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees."

As the two girls continued to talk to one another, they didn't notice that a group of three boys were looking at them sadly.

"Looks like we really are back," whispered Yue. "This feels so unreal, seeing them alive like this."

Patting his friend on the back Jaune nodded his head, "I know. I'm still pinching myself to make sure I'm awake. But they are alive...and we're going to make sure it stays that way."

"Damn right," growled Cardin, "I'm not going to lose my friends or team again because I fucked up. No. I'm still amazed at how we got here but that Hekate woman somehow accomplished this. Now we gotta do the best we can with it."

Their eyes met in agreement before turning away from the girls and returning back to their seats. They had a lot to do and the sooner they started, the better.

* * *

><p><strong>As always. Enjoy! Oh and follow, favorite, review, etc if you can!<strong>

**- Commissar Adrian of the Mordian Iron Guard**


	3. Chapter 3 - Old Friends - Part 1

**RWBY is the property of Monty Oum and Roosterteeth. Legal stuff. Support the official release!**

**Revision 1 : Jan 2015**

**Revision 2 : Feb 2015**

* * *

><p><strong>Beacon Academy <strong>

**September 1st, 2115 : Afternoon**

Yue was the first to disembark the ship; his red and black greatcoat billowing behind him. As he straightened his peaked cap, making sure to keep his white hair as neat as possible, he looked around Main Avenue. Familiar sights greeted his blood red eyes. He knew these grounds so very well. Making sure his sword, _Ave Imperator_, was firmly strapped to his side, he slowly made his way down the road. He had someone that he needed to meet.

* * *

><p>Barreling down the ramp next was Cardin. He was momentarily hit with a bout of nostalgia, but quickly pushed it away. The first steps of the plan the three had made before arriving was simple. They had to make sure that the teams they had in their previous life was the same as this current one.<p>

_(And this time)_, Cardin thought to himself, _(I'm going to make sure I don't make a complete ass of myself along with my team. Especially toward Faunus. They deserved better than the lot that they drew in life.)_

Determined to change things he continued to run, tapping Yue on the shoulder while passing.

* * *

><p>Jaune was the last one off the airship. Wearily he dragged himself over to a bench, closed his eyes and tried to quiet the storm in his stomach. Even after years of traveling on airships he still got motion sick sometimes. Feeling the last bouts of nausea finally pass he opened his eyes and grinned in relief. He wasn't going to be called Vomit Boy in this life.<p>

He started making his way down Main Avenue. Off in the distance he noticed a black haired girl in a red cloak being berated by a girl clad all in white. (_Ruby and_ _Weiss.)_ As he got closer he was able to make out what they were saying.

"You dolt! What do you think you are doing?"

An apologetic Ruby stammered, "S-s-sorry!"

"Sorry?! Do you even understand the amount of damage that you could've done?"

Huffing, Weiss opened up one of her suitcases and took out a glass vial with red dust. Starting off on another tirade, her white ponytail bobbing with every syllable, the girl shook the vial every so often unknowingly causing small puffs of dust to quickly gather. Knowing what had happened last time, Jaune decided to intervene.

"Now now miss," he interrupted as Weiss stopped a moment to draw breath, "I'm sure it was just an accident." With a small smile he then pointed at Weiss's hand. "Besides if you continue to shake that vial so vigorously we might have a larger accident on our hands."

"W-what?! Do you even know who you are talking too?" Weiss's cheeks tinged red with outrage at the ruffian that dared to talk to her in such a tone.

"Of course I do," smirked Jaune, "You're Weiss Schnee. Heiress to the Schnee Dust Corporation. And being such a important and learned individual I daresay that you of all people should know NOT to carelessly shake a dust vial?"

Raising an eyebrow he added, "Especially one that's holding fire elemental dust?"

"I-I...well you see. I mean how d-dare...ARGH!" Knowing that the ruffian was correct did not make her any happier. Crossing her arms she scowled and turned back to her luggage handlers. "Get my bags to where they need to go if you would please."

"Of course Miss. Schnee."

"Right away young miss."

Taking one last look at Jaune and Ruby, she simply sniffed and stalked away while uttering, "This isn't over."

_(Ah Weiss. It's nice to see you're still that Ice Princess that I fell for when I first arrived at Beacon.)_ Jaune thought. Turning around he saw Ruby was fidgeting nervously. Remembering how shy she had been at first, he smiled at her. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Yue conversing with a young girl with a black bow.

"Well I can say that went quite well. The name is Jaune. Jaune Arc. Short and sweet and to the point." He thrust his hand out. "What's yours?"

Still a little nervous but glad to meet someone who was willing to talk, Ruby grasped Jaune's hand and shook it. "My name's Ruby. Ruby Rose." Letting go of the hand she looked down and was dismayed to find her skirt covered in dust. She quickly brushed herself off.

His eyes warred between sadness and happiness. Even though he had seen her already back on the airship, he still couldn't believe that she was standing in front of him. Seeing her start to look up again, he quickly adopted a friendly expression. No reason to make her curious. He knew how stubborn she was when it came to such thing.

"Well I'm going to the assembly where the Headmaster is going to be address the arrivals. Want to join me?" he ventured. Turning he pointed at the main building in the distance. "It's right over there in fact."

Starting to walk away he shouted out behind him, "Hey aren't you coming?"

"Yea. Okay!" Grinning Ruby ran to catch up. Maybe this day wasn't that all bad.

* * *

><p>Turning his gaze away from Jaune and Ruby, he focused back onto the girl in front of him. Her gold eyes were narrowed in suspicion and he could see her body was tense. Sighing, he took a took a step back and held out his hands to show that he meant no harm.<p>

"Who are you?" she whispered as her body relaxed ever so slightly. Her mind was reeling from the knowledge that someone knew she was a former White Fang member, especially here at Beacon. It took all she had to not make a run for it. The only reason she didn't do so was because she couldn't feel any ill will being directed at her from the young man standing before her.

"My name is Yue. Yue Yun Long." He reached into his jacket, although slowly to avoid spooking the young woman and gave her a card. "Recent admittee to the illustrious school Beacon and a person who wants you to know that you are not as alone as you think."

After she read the card, which listed his name as well as a title and a series numbers , she studied him. Oddly enough her mind was telling her that he was someone that she could trust. That surprised her. She had only just met the young man and there shouldn't be any reason for that feeling. She frowned in confusion. "Why are you telling me this?"

He smiled. "Carrying a secret is a heavy burden. It helps to have someone you can confide in." Pausing to tap his ear, he chuckled. "So if you ever need an open ear, just look for me. I'll promise to listen."

That only served to confuse her further. In all her time in the White Fang, she had not met a single person that was willing to do what he had just offered. They all kept mostly to themselves, even her former partner Adam. Given the way they operated, it made sense. Loose lips sunk ships and to confide in other members had been considered a needless risk. _(Although I am no longer part of the White Fang,)_ she thought, _(I don't need to follow that way of thinking any longer.)_

Watching her think, Yue congratulated himself on not being shot or stabbed. He had a few doubts on how well she would've taken his approach and was glad she was as level headed as he remembered.

"For reasons I still don't know why, I trust you." Shaking her head slightly, she allowed herself to relax. She was still a bit apprehensive, but decided to let the chips fall where they may. After all she was after a new start and to have someone who she could talk to would be nice. Plus she already had risked much by deserting the White Fang. A little more couldn't hurt. "It's nice to meet you Yue."

"Likewise Blake."

* * *

><p>Ozpin wished mightily that he could scratch his greying hair. Throughout the entire day he had been nagged by a strange feeling. When the new students had arrived at Beacon that feeling had then intensified. <em>(It feels like someone is trying to tell me something...but what?)<em> When the doors opened again to admit more arriving students his gaze suddenly focused on a boy with blond hair.

(_Jaune Arc._ _Strange.)_ He sipped from his coffee cup as he studied Jaune closer. He knew the boy had submitted false transcripts to enter Beacon, but had ignored that because he could see that there was potential in the lad. And yet, the young man he saw in front of him resonated with power.

_(Something to look into for sure.)_

Sweeping his gaze around the room again he was surprised to see Cardin Winchester talking animatedly to a group of Faunus. The young Winchester was supposedly a Faunus hater according to reports. It was a matter that he was going to address later, but now it looks like it won't be needed.

"Glynda?"

"Yes Ozpin?" The professor looked sideways at him while continuing to fiddle with her scroll.

"Scratch off number three and number fifty-six from the plans. It doesn't look like they're necessary anymore." Smiling behind his cup, he started to wonder what other surprises were going to pop up.

He soon found out when the door opened once more. Yue walked in with Blake next to him. The young Faunus girl seemed to be paying particular attention to the young man. _(Hmm, something is going over there as well.)_

Sighing he set his coffee mug down on a nearby table. There were things that he did not have a grasp on and they involved his students. Something like that was inexcusable. He was determined to find out what was going on, but first he had a speech to present.

Glynda saw he was ready and pressed a button on her scroll. A mike stand rose from the stage that they were standing on.

"Ahem," he began, taking a second to fix his spectacles, "I will try to keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and learn new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your lives to the protection of the people. Yet when I look amongst you...all I see is wasted energy. Energy in need of purpose. Direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this. However in your short time here you will find that knowledge will only take you so far. It is up to you to take the first step...as it has always been."

Stepping away from the mic he gauged the reactions of the students. As expected most of them broke out into confused whispers. No doubt wondering what he meant. Yet he saw that the young Arc, Winchster, and Long seemed to stare back at him with full understanding of what he had said. _(Why do I not seem surprised?)_

He filed it away in his mind and started to walk off the stage to the nearby elevator. He had a few things to look into and he had a feeling that he should do so as soon as possible.

Glynda took over the moment he had walked off stage. With a sharp gaze she addressed the students still milling about. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight. In the morning you will begin your initiation. Be ready. You are dismissed." With a firm nod she followed Ozpin.

* * *

><p><strong>Beacon Academy Main Hall<strong>

**September 1st, 2115 : Evening**

"Alright Jaune, who has your pick?", whispered Cardin in his black and gold pajamas. The three had swiftly taken over a corner of the room to sit and talk.

"You already know my answer Cardin," yawned Jaune. He scratched his left shoulder. _(Thank god I took the time to get a proper pair of sleepwear instead of being trapped with that onesie.)_ he laughed to himself. The blue sleeved shirt matched wonderfully with his eyes and his leggings were a respectable gold.

"But if you insist," he grinned, "It's Pyrrha. Now that I'm not oblivious to her feelings I can actually do something sooner unlike last time. Hell I could feel her staring at my back in the main lobby!"

Laughing Yue punched Jaune in the shoulder, "That's a good thing too! It took you how long last time to notice? Nine months?"

Shaking his head as he straightened out his red and black pajamas, he got into a more comfortable position before continuing, "I swear we all knew at the time but you. You were probably one of the densest people we've ever met!"

"True true," smirked Jaune, "But what about you? You always had a thing for Blake didn't you? I mean I saw how you were talking to her today."

Cardin's ears perked up at this. "Oh? Someone trying to make some headway already?" Grabbing Yue he began mess up the man's hair. "You sly devil, you!"

"Argh. Knock it off Cardin.", he grumbled, shaking the big man off. "What about you? I know all about your crush. And didn't I spy you talking to her earlier in the lobby?"

At this the big man blushed. He laughed weakly and shrugged. "N-nah I was just introducing myself to them. That's all! I swear!"

Before Yue could rib him some more, they all heard shouting from the opposite side of the room.

"All no! Not you again!" Weiss and a gold haired girl shouted at one another

Groaning Jaune face palmed. "Right this happened last time as well didn't it?" Getting up he made his way over to the bickering girls.

After a moment's hesitation Yue got up as well and joined him. Cardin just shrugged and put on a nightcap. He was too tired to play hero tonight.

* * *

><p>The closer they two got, the more they wished they hadn't began this foolish venture. The two girls were going at it tooth and nail, each raising their voice as the words flew back and forth.<p>

Ruby was in the middle of the two,mouth open and eyes wide, shocked into silence.

Blake meanwhile was leaning against a nearby dresser desperately tying to concentrate on her book. Growing annoyed with the two loudmouths, she was about to speak up when she saw Yue walk up with another boy.

Yue, seeing Blake nearby, gave her a small smile before gesturing to not intervene.

She tilt her head in confusion but nodded agreement. She went back to her book and kept an eye out to see what would happen.

"Ladies! Ladies!", Jaune shouted, "Please can you please keep it down?" He gestured around him and pointed out all the angry stares. "There are people trying to sleep and frankly you both should as well! We have our test tomorrow and we're going to need our strength."

Ruby regained her composure upon seeing Jaune in front of her and grinned. She was grateful someone had stepped up. Reaching up she grabbed the gold haired girl and said, "He's right Yang. It's late and this yelling really isn't helping anyone or making us any friends."

Yang looked down at her little sister hurt. "But she started it!," she whined. She cast an evil glare at Weiss before fully realizing the presence of Jaune and the others. She quickly regained her composure and studied the boys in front of her. She liked what she saw and grinned.

Ignoring Yang, although her stare did send a shiver up his spine, Jaune turned towards Weiss. The young heiress was still red with fury and looked about to start up again.

Holding his hands up in mock surrender he nervously chuckled, "Listen Miss Schnee. It's been a long day and we're all exhausted. Perhaps you can finish this another time once both sides are fully rested?"

A few tense moments passed before the young heiress visibly deflated. "I guess," she mumbled, "I do admit I have been stressed out lately and might have taken out my anger at the most convenient target."

Struggling to form a grin she looked at Yang, who was still checking out Jaune and gang by the way, and managed to get out, "I...apologize for my...difficult behavior. Truce?"

Shocked from her appraisal of the boys, Yang grinned sheepishly, "Yea it's ok. I guess I was a little too high strung anyway. Don't worry about it Ice Princess!."

"Hey! My name is Wei-", she was quickly cut off by Yue. Shocked, she stared incredulously at the boy who had placed his hand over her mouth.

Sweating Yue slowly removed his hand and pointed at a watch he always kept on his person. "It's quite late you know. I believe we should be getting to sleep now."

Huffing Weiss glared at everyone and marched off, a flip of her hair seeming to dismiss them.

"Well...that was a thing," Yang stated.

* * *

><p>"Unbelievable," chuckled Yue, "Even after all these years Weiss's glares still give me shivers." He flopped down on his sleeping bag and shuddered.<p>

Patting his friend on the back before collapsing as well, Jaune grimaced, "Well at least you weren't being looked at as if you were a slab of meat! I swear Yang was definitely mentally undressing me back th-" He was interrupted by a loud snore.

Both looked over at Cardin and glared. The big man was sleeping peacefully with a grin on his face. Realizing that their friend did pick the most sane option, the two began to chuckle but it quickly died.

"Still, doesn't this feel unreal Yue?", Jaune muttered, "That we can actually joke around like this? I mean we know whats going to happen and yet things like this come so easily."

Sighing, Yue stared at his hands before answering, "I know Jaune. But the fact that we can do this should be treasured and taken advantage of. And while we do know what is coming, its still a ways off. We have time."

"So basically you're saying we should try to enjoy ourselves for now?"

"Yes. That's the gist of it."

Jaune covered himself before answering, "Guess that's what I'm going to do then. Good night Yue."

"Good night Jaune," replied Yue, his own head touching down on his pillow. _(Tomorrow is going to be a busy day.) _

* * *

><p><strong>Whew. That's upload three folks! I think I'm getting a little better at this thing we call writing. Who knows? Review if you find any problems or areas I can improve on if you please!<strong>

**Also I've made my decision! I'm going to pair up my OC with Blake cause she is my favorite character. And since this is my Fan Fic, anything I say goes! Woot! Although it should be said that I do fully support Bumblebee in other situations.**

**Anyway next chapter will be the initiation and the dreaded Nevermore and DeathStalker fight!**

**What's going to happen?**

**Who's going to be paired with whom?**

**Will Weiss ever stop being such an ice queen?**

**Find out on the next episode of Dra- whoaaaaa. That was about to be a bad move!**

**As always. Enjoy! Oh and follow, favorite, review, etc if you can!**

**- Commissar Adrian of the Mordian Iron Guard**


	4. Chapter 3 - Old Friends - Part 2

**RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Roosterteeth. Legal copyright stuff. Etc. Etc.**

**Revision 1 : Jan 2015**

**Revision 2 : Feb 2015**

* * *

><p><strong>Beacon Academy Main Hall<strong>

**September 2nd, 2115 : Early Morning**

Feeling movement close to him, Jaune quickly woke up and threw himself into a combat stance. As he shook the last visages of sleep, he was surprised to see Cardin and Yue both dressed. "W-wha?," he yawned, "What are you guys doing?" Looking around he saw how everyone else was still asleep. Glancing out the window he could just make out the sun as it started to slowly peek over the horizon.

"Sorry Jaune," whispered Yue, "But Cardin and I decided to get a head start on things today." Jerking a finger at Cardin before continuing, "He's going to go to the forge to make some alterations on his armour and I need to get some dust to make a few more bullets for my pistols. We'll see you in the locker rooms before the test alright?" After patting Jaune on the shoulder, he grabbed his bag and made his way out of the ballroom with Cardin following close behind.

Yawning again, Jaune grumbled for a moment before going back to sleep. It had been some time since he could rest for more than just a couple hours at a time and he was going to take advantage of it. In only a few seconds he was already making his way back to dreamland.

* * *

><p>As Cardin and Yue both emerged from the building, they both had to repress a shiver. It was a brisk, cold Monday morning and their breathes misted in front of their faces.<p>

"Hey Cardin," Yue began, "Remember that lesson we took back in first year about more practical uses of our aura?" He gestured and activated his aura, letting it flow around his body, creating a small shield that kept out the biting chill.

Smiling Cardin replied, "Way ahead of ya buddy. Moment I realized how cold it was, I already made mine." Cracking his neck, he pointed over to the Forge building. "Anyway I'm going to get to work right away," he said as he tapped the bag he had slung behind him, "I have quite a few things to adjust." He tapped Yue on the forehead before marching off, "I'll see ya around bud."

Yue watched his receding back for a moment before taking out his scroll. He opened up Beacon's map and located the building he wanted. Same location as before, just a little past the Library. Sighing, he stowed the scroll back in his coat pocket and briskly started to move. He didn't notice the gold eyes that followed his every step.

* * *

><p>She had woken when she heard footsteps pass by. Ever since she had left the White Fang, she had learned to pick up any sounds around her even while asleep. Cracking one eye open, she was able to make out Yue and another creep out of the ballroom. Rousing herself, she quickly got dressed and grabbed Gambol Shroud. She wanted to know what he was up to.<p>

* * *

><p>"Hello sir, welcome to Dustco. We're open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. My name is Kichi. How may I help you?", chirped the sharply dressed young woman seated behind the counter. Her hands were already poised above her keyboard, ready to take his order. Her light brown eyes danced behind her spectacles as she waited for him to answer.<p>

"Hi Kichi," Yue greeted as he pulled out a Black Lien Credit Chip and a small scroll, "I have a few things that I need to procure if you have them." He handed both items to the young woman and clasped his hands together in front of him as he waited.

Kichi had tore open the seal to the scroll the moment it had reached her fingers and read down the long list. She quickly read through the list and sharply nodded. Putting the scroll down, she studied the Lien Chip and then swiped it through a reader she kept in her suit pocket. Finding everything to be in order, she beamed at the young man in front of her and handed the Chip back to him.

"Very well Mr. Yue. Although the amount you have requested is slightly above ordinary, it won't be difficult to fulfill your order." She paused a moment as she ran over a thought in her head. "In fact," she continued, "Seeing as you arrived so early I can dare to venture and ask that you needed this dust as soon as possible?"

Yue simply dipped his head. "Yes, that would be correct. I need to complete a few items before my test later today."

Kichi stood up and bowed. "If you don't mind then sir, let me personally get you your items so you can be on your way." She bowed once more and ran off before Yue could answer.

He chuckled and decided to consult his Scroll while he waited. As he read, he detected some movement out of the corner of his eye and spun while grasping for Ave Imperator.

An empty lobby greeted his searching eyes. Except...he smiled. Just outside a window he could see a black bow twitching. Releasing his grip on his sword he went back to his Scroll. He would deal with the curious cat once he got his dust.

* * *

><p>Cardin growled as he swung the hammer down again. He wasn't satisfied with how his plates were coming out. Leaning back, he took off the face shield and wiped his sweaty brow with a rag he kept nearby.<p>

He glanced over at the pieces he had so far completed. His second year at Beacon had taught him that, while powerful, his armour was severely lacking in areas. It didn't offer enough protection past the bottom of his ribcage, nor most of his legs. Determined to correct that, he had already forged a new breastplate and a pair of cuisses. It were the poleyns now that gave him trouble.

Sighing, he decided to take a break and sat down on a nearby bench. He reached inside his bag and pulled out his bottle. As he started twisting off the bottle cap, he started thinking.

_(It's almost funny,)_ he mused, _(I never imagined that our aura and semblances would be unchanged from the future.)_ Finally managing to get the bottle open, he took a sip before continuing, _(I mean right now our current physical bodies are all that are keeping us back. We might have a fine control over our auras, but we can still only use portions of it until our bodies can withstand the stress.)_

He continued taking small sips as he traced his muscles with his eyes. In his mind he was already devising training regimens and exercises. _(I'll say right now I'm at about seventeen percent. Jaune should be around ten percent. As for Yue...)_ He narrowed his eyes. _(He's probably in the best shape. He did start earlier than Jaune or I when it came to actual hunter training.)_

Draining the bottle, he tossed it back into his bag and walked back over to the anvil._ (Time to get back to work.)_ Placing the face shield on again, he took a deep breath and swung his hammer down.

* * *

><p>"Now Blake," he admonished, "You should know better than to spy on someone."<p>

He had caught the Faunus girl the moment he exited Dustco by tossing one of his cases, full of Dust, at a nearby bush. It had caused her to shriek uncharacteristically and jump out in front of him, suitcase in hand.

Muttering darkly, she glared at him, "Well what about you? You know tossing something like a case full of dust could spell disastrous consequences." She kept a strong hold on it, still recovering from the shock.

He acknowledged her statement with a nod, "Of course. But seeing as I knew you were there I had ample trust in you on stopping something like that from happening." He held out his hand. "Although now that you are now in front of me and no longer hidden, I would like that case back."

Her eyes narrowed but then a thought struck her. She looked down at the case in her arms and made her decision. She slowly uncurled her arms from around it and held it loosely at her side. "Fine," she began, "But you will only get it back once you show me what you were going to do with it in the first place."

Yue raised an eyebrow before shaking his head. "Very well Blake," he sighed, "But it might take awhile."

Surprised he had given in so quickly, Blake had to quickly hide her shock. "That's alright. After all the day has still only begun."

* * *

><p>Jaune tore into the pancakes in front of him. He had missed these when he had graduated from Beacon and the war had limited supplies to the point that things like pancakes were considered a luxury. So to have the opportunity to eat as many as he could was something he couldn't pass up.<p>

"Ohhhh My God!", giggled the pink-haired young woman who had stopped in front of him, "Look Ren! A person who loves pancakes as much as I do!"

Quickly swallowing the bite he had just taken, he washed it down with a glass of milk before laughing, "Well pancakes are the life blood of future hunters and huntresses after all!"

The young woman's grin widened. "Oooooh! So you do understand! Ren! Come over here! I've found my pancake buddy!" She promptly sat down and began to gulp down her own stack of pancakes.

A dark haired young man with a streak of pink in his hair stepped over. He gave Jaune a small bow before sitting himself besides the young woman. He glanced apologetically at Jaune before saying, "I'm sorry about my friend here. She gets easily excited. But it looks like she has decided to call you a friend." He bowed again. "My name is Lie Ren." He gestured to the girl seated next to him, "And this one here is called Nora Valkyrie."

"Hello!", Nora exclaimed with a mouth full of pancakes.

Jaune waved the apology off, "Don't worry about it. Anyone who loves pancakes as much as I do is a friend of mine! Anyway my name is Jaune. Jaune Arc." He wiped his hands before presenting one to Ren.

"I'm relieved to hear that," Ren said with a smile before taking the hand and shaking it.

"Awww look Rennie. You made a friend as well!," cooed Nora. She quickly hugged him and beamed at Jaune. "Like he said, I'm Nora and he's Ren. We've been together since we were kids." She blushed slightly, "Just not together-together. You know!"

_(Oh I do indeed know),_ Jaune sadly thought while keeping a smile on his face.

* * *

><p>"NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW THIS BUT YOU CAN USE YOUR AURA TO SMELT DUST.", Yue yelled as held a bowl in the furnace using a pair of tongs.<p>

He grit his teeth from time to time as he concentrated. He knew his body wasn't as powerful as it was before so he wanted to make sure he got it right. Using his aura he surrounded the dust in the bowl with it to keep it from activating and began to search for impurities to remove. He quickly glanced over at Blake to see if she was following.

_(Interesting),_ she thought, _(The idea of it is so simple but how come I've never heard of anyone doing this before?)_ She looked at the young man in front of her curiously.

Seeing her face he cracked a small smile before answering the question he knew she wanted to ask. "IT'S ACTUALLY BEEN DONE SEVERAL TIMES BY SEVERAL PEOPLE IN HISTORY. IN FACT EVEN BACK DURING THE GREAT WAR HAD INSTANCES WHERE THIS HAPPENED. OH! HOLD ON A MOMENT!"

Sensing that the dust was ready, he stopped and quickly withdrew the bowl from the fire. The dust inside had melted completely. Bringing it over to a series of molds he had cast prior, he poured the liquefied dust into each aside the tongs, he once again tapped into his aura and sent it into each of the molds. After a few moments he cut off the flow and reached forward. Picking the molds up gently, he turned them around and tapped them over a plate he had set. Twelve bullet rounds fell out. Grabbing the plate, he waved Blake to follow him outside.

Coughing a little as they emerged, he made for a table placed outside by a lamp.

"Sorry about that. Just believed it would be better to talk out here instead of shouting in there," he apologized.

Picking up a round, he held it up for Blake to observe. "Now as you see, these rounds are little different from the ones people use in their weapons...at least in appearance." He took out one of his pistols, Honour, from his side holster and flipped open the chamber. Eight empty slots greeted him and he slid the round in his hand into one of them. Flipping it again to close it, he presented the gun to Blake, grip facing towards her. "Here, it'll be easier if you can feel it for yourself."

Gingerly grabbing the gun, she paused to admire its design. Its name was emblazoned in gold lettering on the sides of the barrel and had sharp, crisp designs etched into the sides. Looking closely she could she the design was a moon surrounded by clouds. _(No doubt because of his name,)_ she thought. Realizing that he was still looking at her expectantly, she raised the gun and aimed down its sight. She was confused, what did he want her to feel?

Deciding to give her a little break, Yue spoke up. "Use your aura and imagine feeding it into the round in the gun."

Following his suggestion, she closed her eyes and extended a tendril of her aura. It moved slowly down her arm and into the gun in her hand. As it touched the round, it got sucked up suddenly and she gasped, eyes flying wide open. She almost dropped the gun in her shock, but managed to hold on, although just barely. "W-what was that?"

"You're see. Now fire it up into the sky."

Frowning, she aimed the gun upwards and carefully pressed the trigger. The round burst out off the barrel and rocketed upwards. The kickback from the gun was enormous and she winced from the discomfort that is produced from her wrists. Yet she kept her eyes on the round and they widened when it exploded in the sky. The size of the explosion was almost ten times larger than a regular round. Stunned, she numbly handed Yue back his gun. Her face turned to face his, her mouth dropped in astonishment.

Yue allowed himself another small grin. Taking Honour back from her hands, he quickly holstered it back on his side. "It's something, isn't' it? But yes, it's exactly as you felt Blake," he said, "You see most bullets made today, dust or otherwise, are mass produced in factories. They are still useful, yes, but they are limited in their applications. Now if you were to take pure, unrefined dust and smelt it like I did, you're able to create a special type of round."

He gestured at the remaining eleven rounds on the plate. "As I mentioned before, things like this have been done before. It's actually only because of this that I found out myself. But the instances were so rare and very often only mentioned briefly, almost as if in passing. I had to study for quite a few months before I was able to piece together everything."

Seeing that Blake was still listening with rapt attention, he continued. "Anyway, these rounds are able to absorb and hold one's aura. What you did just now was infuse part of your aura into the round itself. Because of this, its destructive capabilities have been increased manifold. Combined with the fact that the dust is super concentrated and free of any impurities...well you already saw the effect of that yourself." Finished with his explanation, he waited for Blake to digest everything.

Reeling from what Yue had just told her, she was silent as she tried to organize it in her mind. _(Once again the idea was so simple, but perhaps that was the problem. Wait! That's it. The idea was simple, of that there was no doubt, but it had taken a long time to just make a dozen rounds. Why bother if you could make hundreds or even thousands in the same period of time using today's technology? Combine that with the fact that they looked just like any other round and you had your answer. Still the possibilities..)_

She reached backwards to feel Gambol Shroud on her back. If she could make those rounds as well and then somehow alter them...Eyes focused she stared at Yue. "I want you to teach me how to make those." she stated.

* * *

><p><em>(The cat took the bait)<em>, he celebrated. He had a feeling that Blake would've heard Cardin and him sneak out of the ballroom. He knew that she would've been curious about him after he had talked to her that previous day. _(But to make it this far and only on the second day.. How interesting.) _Realizing that she was still waiting for an answer, he said, "Very well."

* * *

><p><strong>Beacon Academy Locker Rooms<strong>

**September 2nd, 2115 : Morning**

"Nice to meet you Jaune," Pyrrha greeted as she stared at the attractive, blond haired young man in front of her. For some reason she had felt attracted to him the moment she had lain eyes on him yesterday during the welcoming speech.

"It is nice to meet you as well Pyrrha," smiled Jaune, desperately resisting the urge to cry and hug the red-haired spartan. The emotions running through him at seeing his old partner alive in front of him were confusing and running rampart in his heart and mind. Somehow though he was able to maintain his demeanor.

They both seemed to ignore the fuming Weiss that had been trying to get in close with the skilled Mistralian. She was outraged. Once again this ruffian was standing between her and her goals. She was not going to let this go unpunished! Clearing her throat quite loudly, shocking the two in front of her, she stabbed a finger at Jaune's chest.

"Do you mind? I don't think you have any idea about who you're dealing with." she spat out. "I mean it seems you know her name but you wouldn't have dared to get close to her if you knew all that she has accomplished!" She smiled smugly, "Why this is none Pyrrha Nikos! She graduated top of her class at Sanctum and won FOUR straight Mistral Regional Tournaments. Now hearing that, do you still believe you're qualified to be on HER team?" Satisfied she had made her point she waited for the ruffian's response.

Jaune just grinned. "Well if you put it like that I guess that I really don't!" He could see Pyrrha frown a bit at hearing that and was beginning to open her mouth before he continued, "But the way I see it. We're all here to learn and apply ourselves. To take ourselves to the next level. On that aspect we are all equal so...I believe no matter what you did previously, you are as qualified as anyone else here. That includes myself...and you...Ice Princess."

Pyrrha struggled to hold back a giggle as Weiss went red in the face. She knew she had seen something in the blond-haired young man.

Weiss proceeded to explode.

* * *

><p>"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!"<p>

"Yikes," remarked Yang, "Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning!"

Ruby winced as she recognized the voice, "Well I hope that I don't see her when she's still on her bad side."

"Ah it'll be fine sis," Yang laughed as she slapped Ruby on the back, "Looks like that poor Jaune kid is taking most of the heat. C'mon let's get going!"

"Alright Yang." Closing her locker after removing Crescent Rose, she followed her sister past a black-haired young man and a pink-haired young woman.

* * *

><p>"Oooh I hope we end up on the same team together Ren!We should probably come up with a sort of plan. Maybe a noise that only we know! Like a sloth!"<p>

Ren just sighed as he checked his dual pistols, Stormflowers. Satisfied, he withdrew into his voluminous robes and looked at his childhood friend who was still jumping around. "Nora?"

"Yes Ren?" she asked after coming to a complete stop.

"I don't think sloths make a lot of noise." he stated.

"Oooh but that's why it's perfect! No one will suspect a thing! No one will know we're together!" She paused for a second before continuing.

"B-but...you know," she stammered, "Not together-together."

Chuckling a little, he just walked past her calling over his shoulder, "Come Nora. Let's go."

"Coming Ren!"

* * *

><p>"I bet five Lien that he got held up by Weiss in the locker room," bet Cardin. He had finally finished his modifications to his armour, including the poleyns, and had met Yue outside the lockers. His mace was in hand, resting on his shoulder.<p>

Sighing Yue replied, "Very well Cardin. I bet five Lien then that our friend was held up by, not Weiss, but Pyrrha."

"Deal." A handshake sealed the contract. They both remained by the exit of the locker rooms, both eager to see who would win.

As the minutes wore on Cardin decided to break the silence. "So...what did you do after we split ways?"

Straightening his cap, Yue made sure both his pistols were correctly holstered before replying. "Went to Dustco to get some dust. Ran into Kichi by the way. She's as eager as she was when we met her in second year."

"Oh?," remarked Cardin, "That's nice to hear. Means that we should be able to get dust easy enough." He hesitated a moment before going on. "But something else happened didn't it? I can tell."

Sighing once more, Yue stared at a wall before speaking. "Blake followed us when we left the ballroom. She tailed me to Dustso."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I decided to "catch her in the act" and told her that she could just watch what I was going to do."

"You move fast buddy. Got the cat all hooked on your charm already?", he grinned at his friend.

"Shut it Cardin."

Deciding to leave the matter, Cardin went back to watching the locker room exit. Soon his face split into a grin.

"Looks like you owe me five Lien buddy!"

An enraged Weiss stalked past them, muttering darkly under her breath. A calm, but slightly pink Pyrrha followed.

Last came Jaune with a red palm print across his face.

"..."

"..."

"Blast."

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry guys! I really wanted to do the Emerald Forest section in this chapter as well but felt it would make the chapter way too long! So it will be starting in chapter five!<strong>

**Anyway I used this chapter mainly to introduce the rest of the JNPR and to set some groundwork for future events and fights. If you have any questions just PM me or leave a review and I'll try to answer it as best as I can!**

**Also to those that have already read Chapter one, l updated that today as well!**

**To those who have already started Following me, you have my thanks. I'll do my best to meet your expectations!**

**To those that have Favorited, I express my deepest gratitude. To have people enjoy something I wrote fills me with pride!**

**As always. Enjoy! Oh and follow, favorite, review, etc if you can!**

**- Commissar Adrian of the Mordian Iron Guard**


	5. Chapter 3 - Old Friends - Part 3

**RWBY is owned by Monty Oum and Roosterteeth. Legal copyright stuff. Support the official release!**

**Revision 1 : Jan 2015**

* * *

><p><strong>Beacon Cliffs<strong>

**September 2nd, 2115 : Morning**

"Would all first year students please report to Beacon Cliffs. Your initiation is about to begin. Again, would all first year students please report to Beacon Cliffs."

After confirming that the message had been broadcast to the entire campus, Glynda put away her scroll and glanced over at Ozpin. The gray-haired man was staring out over the Emerald Forest, his ever present coffee mug in hand and steaming. Although he tried to hide it, she had been with him too long to be fooled and knew the man was exhausted since he had spent most of the previous night pouring over the records of three particular individuals.

But she did not try and approach him. He would just shake his head and laugh if she confronted him about his current condition. No, it was better to silently observe and be ready to move at a moments notice. Straightening her glasses, she stood back and watched as the first students came into view.

* * *

><p>"For years you have trained to become warriors. Protectors of the peace. Today your abilities will be put to the test in the Emerald Forest." Ozpin paused as he studied the young men and women lined up in front of him. They looked confident and eager to prove themselves. Except, his eyes narrowed, the three young men at the end of the line who stared at him with a calmness that was unsettling.<p>

"Now," Glynda spoke up, "I know there have been rumors floating around about the assignment of teams. Allow me to shed some light on the matter." She took notice of how some of the students paled, while others flushed with excitement.

"You will all be assigned teammates. Today.", she announced.

"W-what?"

"Whoa that's kinda quick!"

"Oh I wonder who I'll get!"

"Furthermore," Glynda pushed on, ignoring the outcries, "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. Therefore it would be in your best interest to be paired with someone you can work well with." She stopped for a second before continuing, "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with upon landing will be your teammate for the next four years."

Before the students could say anything, she slapped her riding crop into her hand producing a sharp, loud clap. "There will be no discussion on the matter. The Headmaster has decided to take this route for a reason. Being aspiring hunters and huntresses I expect you to all take this in stride and view it as just another challenge."

Only silence greeted her as she finished. Most of the students were still reeling from the announcement and couldn't form a coherent thought other than one of confusion. Jaune nodded at his friends. They had already known this and gave each other a small grin before focusing on the Headmaster who had moved forward.

"Your goal is simple. Once you have found a teammate, make your way to a temple in the northern section of the forest. You will face opposition on the way and you should not hesitate to destroy everything standing in your way. Otherwise you will die."

He took a sip from his cup before continuing, "Once you arrive at the temple there will be several relics for you to choose from. As a pair you must pick one and bring it back here. You are to safeguard that relic as you do so. Once back you all will be graded on your performance and then placed accordingly."

"Are there any questions?" He looked carefully at all of them, focusing on their eyes most of all. Although some wrestled with emotions for a spell, but in the end only sharp, focused gazes met his scrutiny. Nodding in satisfaction, he took out a watch.

"Very well. The test starts now."

* * *

><p><em>(Well here I am flying through the air contemplating what I want from dinner, where before I would probably have been screaming for my life. How nice.)<em>

Grinning, he brought his shield up and focused his aura out in front of him to help lessen the blow from the branches reaching out for him. As he smashed through them, he caught sight of the ground rapidly rising to meet him. _(Oh, this might hurt a bit)_, he thought before impacting the forest floor creating a small crater.

As he slowly got up he performed a quick check of his body. While his aura had neutralized any real physical damage, his muscles were numb from the impact. Shaking out any kinks, he made a promise to train himself up as quick as possible. His current body was still quite weak and couldn't make full use of his aura or semblance without causing ill effects. _(Maybe Cardin has some ideas,)_ he thought.

Glancing about he unsheathed his sword and started making his way forward through the bush. His ears started to pick up the sound of distant gunshots and he tried to differentiate the types of rounds being fired. He had to make sure he found Pyrrha first.

* * *

><p>"C'mon ya Ursa!," roared Cardin, "Ya gotta do better than that!" Smashing his fist into the Grimm's jaw, he sent it flying backwards into a tree, along with knocking out some of its teeth. As the Grimm struggled to rise, he jumped and drove his leg into the beast's back, feeling bones crack.<p>

He jumped off, watching the Ursa as it gave its death rattle. Satisfied that it was finished, he went and picked up his mace that he had placed against a nearby tree. _(Man,)_ he thought, _(The old me would've probably been winded after a little scuffle like that. Guess it goes to show what even a little knowledge can do. No more wasted energy.)_

A quick look at his hands though revealed some light bruising. _(Hmm thought that might happen. Not quite ready for that, huh? Might have to make a pair of gauntlets to use when I get back.)_ Aura strengthing was a valuable skill but caused more strain in the areas it was used on.

Yawning he checked the time. _(Hmm, any second now Russel is gonna come through that treeline over there and...speak of the devil.)_ A slim young man with a green Mohawk tumbled out and sprawled in front of him. Laughing, Cardin walked over and put out his hand. "Need a hand there bud?"

* * *

><p>"So," he began, "What do we do now?" He looked back and forth between Yang and Blake, a frown on his face.<p>

"Well," began Yang, looking at Yue, "Technically we saw each other first while I was in the middle of kicking a Beowolf, but it was only in passing. Yet eye contact is eye contact...isn't it?"

Sighing Blake injected, "But I believe I made eye contact with you first Yang. After saving you from that Ursa remember?"

"And I am afraid I don't quite remember WHO I saw first," grimaced Yue, "Seeing as I had a pack of Boarbatusks distracting me." He pointed at the pile of bodies behind him.

The three sighed. A confused silence settled upon the trio.

"I say we just go to the temple and grab a relic," Yang finally said, "We can worry about the whole teammate thingie once we do that."

Blake and Yue both nodded in agreement, "Very well."

* * *

><p>"So," Sky commented as he studied the dilapidated ruins, "I think this is the place." He turned to his companions and pointed at several pillars that had chess pieces resting on top. "Think those are the relics?" he asked.<p>

"Looks like it mate," Cardin grinned and slapped the man in the shoulder. "C'mon we should grab them and hightail it back to the cliffs. I'm starving."

His teammate, Russel, walked forward and studied the pieces before picking up a black bishop. "Hey Cardin, hows a bishop sound to ya?"

"Sounds fine Russ." Cardin checked off an objective in his head before shouting out to Sky and his teammate, Dove. "You guys want to grab the other black bishop? For some reason I think our teams might be made according to what we pick and we seem to work well together."

Dove and Sky both looked at each other before shrugging. The other pair had helped them when they had been attacked by Grimm. Being on the same team as people you've fought with already would be beneficial no matter how they looked at it. Plus they seemed cool enough. Nodding at Cardin, Sky grabbed the other black bishop piece.

* * *

><p><strong>Beacon Artifact Site<strong>

**September 2nd, 2115 : Afternoon**

Yue was marking off the events that had happened so far in his mind. A large rock serving him as a seat.

Jaune and Pyrrha meeting and becoming partners. Check.

Said pairing running into an overgrown Death Stalker and leading it to the temple. Check.

Nora riding an Ursa until it died? Check.

Ren being partners with said Nora. Check.

Ruby and Weiss becoming reluctant partners. Check.

Said pairing attracting a giant Nevermore and leading it to the temple as well. Check.

Blake and Yang becoming partners. Unresolved.

Remaining partnerless till the end of the initiation. Failed.

Sighing, he took out his sword and studied the chain belt that ran along its edge. The titanium entrusted teeth were still sharp and remained un-chipped. Satisfied he set it down while rerunning the scene that had developed in front of him just a short moment ago.

* * *

><p>Yang, Blake, and himself had arrived at the temple and found a few relics already missing. Yue had noticed the bishop pieces were some of the missing pieces and knew that Cardin had arrived before they did.<p>

While Yang had picked a white knight piece, they heard Nora and Ren arrive.

Followed by a falling Ruby and Weiss.

Whom Jaune and Pyrrha then caught, after bursting out of a treeline.

While everyone had begun to introduce themselves to one another, Ruby and Weiss had erupted into an argument about Ruby's "abilities."

An argument that was interrupted by a rampaging Death Stalker.

Deciding to prove herself to Weiss, Ruby had rushed the Death Stalker alone and only succeeded in making it angry. It had knocked her backwards and into the fire path of the Nevermore.

Jaune and Pyrrha had both rushed out to try and shield the young girl from the Nevermore's feathers and had been partially successful. One feather though, had still managed to get itself caught in Ruby's cloak and pinned her to the ground.

Which made her a target for the Death Stalker. Jaune and Pyrrha were able to distract it which allowed Weiss to rush forward and freeze the Grimm's back half. The three had then worked together to free the young girl and ran back to the temple. The Nevermore had for some reason soared off.

* * *

><p>Now he was witnessing Yang putting a stranglehold on Ruby, unintentionally of course, and threatening to do what the Death Stalker hadn't. The others were trying to get her to release Ruby, but nothing seemed to be getting through. Realizing he had to do something, he walked over and tugged one of Yang's hairs out and quickly stepped back. He noticed with a chuckle Jaune also backpedaling.<p>

"Ow! What was tha-," Yang's voice died in her lips. Her eyes became fixated on the hair in his hand and her lilac eyes quickly turned red. Releasing Ruby, she growled at him. "Yue, you're a dead man." She raced forward and threw a punch at him. Activating his aura, he leaned forward and met the attack halfway with a headbutt. The resulting blast blew his cap off and tossed Yang onto the ground.

Yang was surprised. She hadn't expected Yue to do what he did and slowly got up. Her anger at one of her precious hairs being pulled already dissipating. It was rare for her to find a person who could take one of her rage-fueled punches, even more rare for it to be matched. The person in question, already having recovered his cap and put it back on, was calmly looking at her.

"Are you alright Yang?," he asked while struggling to keep his vision clear. _(Good lord, I'm going to be feeling that one for days.)_ He could already feel the spot on his forehead bruising. Thankfully he could pull his cap down low enough to hide it. He'll use his aura later to heal it.

"Y-yea," stammered Yang, "Never better. Sorry about that but I'm just really protective over my hair."

"No worries. I just had to keep you from choking Ruby to death from relief and that was the only thing that came to mind." He gestured with one of his hands to the Death Stalker still trapped in the distance. "Anyway, I do believe we should get going before that thing escapes. Yes?"

"Awww," whined Nora, "But I wanted my turn to play with Scorpy! I want to pound its face!" She grinned mischievously while twirling Magnhild.

Thankfully Ren intervened, "Nora if we leave now I'll make you some of my special pancakes."

"Yayyyyy! Oki Ren."

"Ah but remember the relics!," Jaune reminded them. Grabbing two white rooks, he tossed one of them to Ren who caught it easily. "Can't go back empty handed right?"

"Ah right," exclaimed Ruby as she turned to her sister, "Yang what did you pick?"

"Huh? Oh. I picked the pony." she answered while showing the white knight piece.

Grabbing the second white knight Ruby grinned, "Ok we're ready now!"

Altogether they ran off, although Jaune and Yue paused to share a knowing nod.

* * *

><p>"Well...that was a thing." stated Yang.<p>

Yue cocked an eyebrow at the young woman before asking, "Is that your catchphrase?"

Grinning she punched him in the shoulder, "Nah just I really couldn't find a word to describe it, ya know?"

"Impressive comes to mind," Blake said as she sheathed Gambol Shroud. She could feel her muscles screaming and looked forward to a long, smoothing bath once they got back.

"Hmmph I'll say lucky," sniffed Weiss. After all it had been her dust that had helped freeze the Nevermore and had enabled Ruby to propel up the cliff to decapitate it. She looked up at the beaming young girl still standing high above them and felt her heart tug faintly. "Although, I admit that it was indeed somewhat impressive." she muttered.

"Well," Yue began while waving over at Jaune's party across the broken bridge, "I do believe our test is almost at an end. I daresay I do look forward to the results."

* * *

><p>"Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark. The four of you recovered the black bishop pieces. From this day forward you shall work together as team Cardinal (CRDL), lead by Cardin Winchester." Ozpin clapped his hands along with everyone else in the audience as the four young men bowed and walked off stage.<p>

Cardin waved at his team to wait so he could see Jaune and Yue. He needed to see if everything else had worked as according to plan.

"Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren." As the four made their way onstage, Cardin caught Jaune's eye and threw him a thumbs up. (So far so good,) he thought.

"The four of you recovered the white rook pieces. From this day forward you shall work together as team Juniper (JNPR), lead by Jaune Arc."

As the new team walked off the stage, Jaune winked at Pyrrha, who went slightly pink at the action.

"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long." Directing a small smile at the young women he continued, "From this day forward you shall work together as team Ruby (RWBY), lead by Ruby Rose. " He noted the look of surprise on the Schnee heiress's face before speaking once more.

"Now this year we have a special case. Please come forward Yue Yun Long."

Walking forward, Yue glanced at Jaune and Cardin and waved at them to not worry.

As he stopped in front of Ozpin and stood at attention the man, he ran several scenarios in his head. Ozpin really only had two choices and one of them was something he would never do, if he knew the man. He waited expectantly.

"Yue here," Ozpin gestured, "Was not able to find a teammate during his test taking period and partly it was due to a misunderstanding that involved Miss. Yang and Miss. Belladonna. Unfortunately for any student to study at Beacon, that student must have a team or at the very least, a partner." The audience burst into whispers.

"Wait, does that mean he failed?"

"No way! You saw how well he did in the forest!"

"But how can he continue if he doesn't have a team?"

"Seriously? That's it? All that work for nothing?"

"Man sucks to be him."

"However," Opzin interrupted, his voice quieting everyone, "Given Yue's impressive transcript as well as his displays in the Emerald Forest, we have decided to do something different this year." He fixed the young man with a stare.

"You may choose Mr. Yue. Out of all the teams made today, you may attach yourself to any one of them. The choice is yours."

"..."

"..."

"..."

_(How amusing,)_ thought Yue, _(You could hear a pin drop in here.)_ He searched the crowd and found Jaune. The blond man simply shook his head and pointed at Cardin who scowled and then gestured to his left. Following the man's hand, he found team RWBY. Weiss was still glaring at her new leader while Yang and Ruby were grinning and waving their hands at him. Blake was leaning against a nearby pillar and showed no outward signs, except for a twitch of her bow once his eyes met hers.

"Very well Headmaster," he spoke, "I chose team RWBY."

* * *

><p><strong>Right...now I have a feeling some of you might be asking why I grossed over the Death StalkerNevermore fight. The answer is simple. I didn't really feel it would add anything to the story and I'm reasonably sure most of you know how the whole fight plays out anyway. Even if I did add it I would have had Yue in a supportive role and Jaune would've been doing much of what he did in the actual show. Better but not different.**

**As for the teams. I did juggle around a few ideas but in the end chose to just add Yue to team RWBY. This way he can actively take a part in helping them rather than as a person looking in. Makes sense since CDRL already has Cardin and JNPR has Jaune. **

**Now I have seen many people refer to Divergence, by YARN (Your are right...NOT). Personally I'm glad for that. Divergence is a great fanfic and I hope YARN continues doing a good job with it. So to be compared to his work is what I can call praise.**

**Now for some bad news. I got finals coming up and need to put more time into studying terms and random garbage I might never use in real life. So I won't be able to update as often until they are done. Ah well. What are you gonna do?**

**As always. Enjoy! Oh and follow, favorite, review, etc if you can!**

**- Commissar Adrian of the Mordian Iron Guard**


	6. Chapter 4 - Minor Bumps - Part 1

**RWBY is the property of Monty Oum and Roosterteeth. Standard legal copyright stuff.**

**Revision 1 : Jan 2015**

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><p><strong>Beacon Academy Dorms<strong>

**September 2nd, 2115 : Evening**

"No, I need that bed over there by the bookshelf," ordered Yue as he oversaw the organization of the room his team RWBY was given. Since most rooms in the dorm buildings were only large enough for four people, Ozpin had assigned them one of the large studios normally reserved for VIPs.

Yue hadn't wasted any time and had immediately procured the help of the school's moving staff. He was determined to make the area as comfortable as humanly possible. As he talked with one mover about the placement of a particularly large dresser, he saw from the corner of his eye his teammates sitting down on the living room sofa. They looked a little stunned as the movers constantly walked back and forth, hustling to place things to his liking.

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><p>"Wow," Yang whispered with disbelief, "Yue really gets into his work doesn't he?" She couldn't really think of anything else to say and just continued to watch him. She thought back to their little scuffle in the forest and wondered what else the young man in front of her had to offer. She grinned mischievously.<p>

Ruby numbly bobbed her head. She was starting already to doubt if she could lead her team. Yue seemed to be so much more suited for the role. It was like he had a natural talent for it. She sighed before wondering if she could get him to give her some advice. She knew she needed it.

Weiss on the other hand was re-assessing her initial observation of Yue. Her first impression of him wasn't flattering, not surprising given how they first met, but she was impressed with what she saw now. He gave clear and concise orders and reminded her of one of her old trainers, a retired soldier from Atlas. _(Yue Yun Long was it? I'm going to have to find out everything I can about this one I think.)_

After studying the faces of her female teammates, Blake went back and fixed Yue in her sight. After he had agreed to teach her how to make those special rounds, they had talked to one another briefly about their lives. She had learned that he came from a long line of military advisers, commissars he called them, and had been groomed for that purpose since he was a young boy. Apparently Beacon was to be his last test before he could be fully anointed as one. She wondered if that was the reason why he seemed to be so sure of himself.

"Ahem," Yue said, breaking them from their thoughts, "Sorry for the wait, but we are finally done." He opened his arms and gestured around the studio as the movers walked out.

In front of the girls now lay a low-lying coffee table. To their left was a bay window that now sported a dark red curtain. Flanking it on the right was a large, wooden bookcase that, much to Blake's silent delight, was filled with various tomes and texts. To the left was a small bar stocked with various liquors, something that Yang decided to check out in depth later. On the wall facing them was a large Holo-screen with several smaller ones flanking it on both sides.

They saw Yue motioning to them before turning and disappearing behind a black curtain that covered the doorway he had been standing in front of. Curious they got up and made to follow him, although not before Weiss introduced her shin to the coffee table.

"Ow!"

Snickering, Yang reached the curtain and pulled it aside as she walked in. She took a quick look around before grinning, "Nice Yue. I like this." The other girls quickly followed behind her, Weiss limping slightly, and they all nodded in agreement with the fiery blond.

"I figured as much Yang," Yue replied with a pleased expression, "This should prove useful to us I believe."

He had turned the room in a workshop. A large workbench lay against the far wall and above it were many metal containers that were fully stocked with tools and materials. To its left was a large, multi drawer storage container filled to the brim with various dust and dust crystals. To the right stood several weapon lockers and a giant medical chest.

As the girls began to inspect the things in the room, he pointed at a door to the left before saying, "That leads to our sleeping quarters. Connected to that is our bathroom. I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of choosing which beds you all will be residing on. Your bags will mark them." He paused as he noticed the glares from all four girls. He quickly added, "But of course you can change them if you wish."

He breathed a sigh of relief when they smiled and looked away from him. Taking out his Scroll, he saw that he had a message from Jaune. Curious he opened it and saw that Jaune wanted to meet Cardin and him on the roof. Wondering what his friend wanted he excused himself and told the girls that he would be right back.

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><p>The moment he left, the four girls dropped what they were doing and ran into the bedroom. They all had the same thought, to put away their more private garments before the young man returned.<p>

They noticed how on one side of the room were bunk beds with their bags piled on top of each one, while on the other was a single bed. Realizing what Yue must've done, they quickly settled on whether they would be getting a top bunk or bottom bunk. Once that was settled they set into unpacking.

"Still," huffed Weiss as she took out one of her coats, "I'm not sure what the Headmaster is thinking. I mean Yue does seem competent, especially after that display he just gave. But allowing a young man to live in the same room as four young girls? Why it's improper!"

"Oh don't worry about it Ice Princess," Yang laughed while chucking her lacy unmentionables into a drawer, "What are you afraid of? Don't like people seeing you in your underwear?"

"She has a point though Yang," remarked Ruby, "I mean it will be kinda weird having him in here." She imagined how it would be like finding Yue in the bedroom after just taking a shower. The very idea set her face on fire.

"Oh, looks like someone is thinking about something naughty!~"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Will the two of you please be quiet!?"

Blake remained silent and just shook her head in amusement. Besides Yue seemed like a gentleman and she didn't believe he would cause any problems. Although, she blushed faintly, accidents do happen.

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><p>Yue found him leaning against one of the railings on the roof, his face turned wistfully at the moon that shone overhead. When he moved closer he realized with a start that Jaune's eyes were red, as if he had been crying.<p>

"Hey Jaune," he whispered, "Are you ok?"

Jaune jumped with a start and whirled around. He hadn't heard Yue come up and was about to ask his friend why he was there when he remembered.

"Oh, right. Let's wait for Cardin to show before I say anything."

"No need," came a voice. Cardin poked his head up over railing and smiled. "Remember my room is right there!" The big man quickly climbed up and straightened in front of the two. He was already wearing his pajamas.

"So, what's up bud?" he asked. He had also noticed Jaune's eyes but didn't dwell on it. After all he was sure he would know the cause soon enough.

Jaune warred within himself before speaking. He had to get it out.

"It's...hard. I mean I knew we would be seeing them again, but I guess I just never realized how tough it would be. I mean if you think about it, technically only a day has passed since I saw Pyrrha dying in front of me. I still can't believe that even happened, not when Pyrrha is here alive and with me! Then I think about Nora and Ren. About what happened to them. But here they are! Whole once again! I mean I was able to keep calm before but maybe its because I was still in shock. How can I protect them? Will I be able to? What am I supposed to feel right now?"

He collapsed, letting out a strangled sob. His body was betraying him. Tears were starting to flow again from his eyes. He tried desperately to choke them back but couldn't. So many emotions were swirling within him; it's as if a dam on his mind had decided to collapse. Doubt. Relief. Anger. Happiness. Regret. Sadness. Shame. Hopelessness. All those and more fought for dominance.

Yue and Cardin looked at each other in concern. They hadn't known that their friend was in so much pain. They kneeled down on either side of Jaune.

"Jaune. It's ok. Everything will be alright." Cardin started to rub him on the back, smooth, long strokes as he continued to talk.

"I realize it's tough. I mean when I lost half my team during that mission. I almost tore myself apart." Cardin shuddered when he recalled his reaction at his teammates funeral. It had taken almost a dozen men to pry him away from their gravestones. He shook the memory off.

"But I didn't," he continued, "Cause I had to continue to live for them you see? I couldn't let their sacrifice go in vain, even if I thought it was such a waste. Remember, we're hunters bud. We have a duty to not only ourselves but for everyone around us. To those too weak to protect themselves. Their deaths were tragic, yes, but they knew the risk. We all did when we chose this path. The same went for Pyrrha and Nora and Ren. For team RWBY."

He stopped, trying to figure out what point he was trying to make. Thankfully Yue spoke up before it got uncomfortable.

"Cardin is right Jaune. It is hard. It is tough. You may never recover from those events. And that's fine. You don't have to." He paused then continued on, steel in his voice.

"Do you remember what you did when Ruby and Weiss died? When Nora and by extension Ren were lost? Even when Blake disappeared? You continued on. You served with valor and honor. With conviction."He got up and swept his right arm at the school around them. Eyes fierce.

"And look! Look what that got you. Look at what it got us! Yes, Pyrrha might have died, but she's alive now! The same for the rest of them! Take their deaths in your mind and do your damnest to make sure that doesn't happen again! We were given another chance Jaune. We don't have the time to waste wallowing in misery." Passion dimming a little, he walked over to the railing and stared over the school grounds.

"You ask what you should be feeling right now. I'll tell you what I'm feeling. Prepared. It's as you said back on the airship Jaune. They're alive and we're going to make sure it stays that way." Turning back to the man on the ground he walked forward and helped Jaune up, Cardin helping him.

"Yue's right bud," Cardin stated once they got Jaune standing, "I already made up my mind long ago. Now it's your turn."

They both let go of Jaune and stepped back.

Jaune stood there quietly for a few minutes. His mind was finally starting to slow down. The emotions raging within him quieted and abated. His friends were right. They already had gone through this and they knew what had to be done. And now so did he. Or rather, he'd always known but for some reason tonight his emotions just got the better of him. Looking back now, he realized that he hadn't cried or grieved when the others had died. Perhaps his body knew this and wanted him to get it out of his system. _(Well it worked,)_ he thought, _(My body feels lighter than ever before and my mind is strangely clear.)_

He looked up and smiled at his friends. He was grateful they were there with him.

"Sorry about that guys," he said as he wiped his face with his sleeve, "I'm probably a sorry sight right now."

Cardin grinned and smacked him on the back.

"What are friends for bud?"

"Indeed," replied Yue a small ghost of a smile gracing his face, "It is a purpose we serve and willingly."

"Now," Cardin yawned, "If that is it I'm going to try and catch some shut eye. I'll see ya two around aight?" He jumped over the railing and disappeared, no doubt climbing back down to his room.

"I must agree with Cardin. It is getting late and I still need to unpack my bags. Good night Jaune." Yue bowed and moved off, leaving Jaune alone on the roof again.

He took a few more minutes to straighten himself out. He didn't want to needlessly worry his team by coming back red-eyed and messy. After making himself presentable he left the roof, this time ready for what will come.

None of them had noticed the camera that had captured their entire conversation.

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><p>Yue quietly opened the door to the studio. He hadn't heard anything going on inside but still wanted to be careful. As he walked through the living room he noticed one of the bottles on the bar already missing. Chuckling softly he entered the workshop. Here too it looked like someone had already made use of the room's tools. Weiss's sword, Myrtenaster, was sitting alongside several vials of dust on the workbench. Glad to see he had made the right choice with the room he carefully pushed open the door to the bedroom.<p>

The soft sounds of breathing filled the room. Each of the girls were asleep. He noticed that like before, Yang and Ruby had taken the top and Weiss and Blake had taken the bottom. Shedding his greatcoat and cap, he set them on a coat hangar by his bed. His sword and guns went right after._ (The bag will have to wait for tomorrow,)_ he thought while repressing a yawn. Grabbing his toothbrush, he went into the bathroom and quickly readied himself for bed.

As he came out, his eyes went to the girls side of the room. Against his better judgement he walked over and knelt by Blake's bed. The Faunus girl's chest rose slowly, up and down, in time to her breaths. He watched her for a few seconds before turning his head and looking out the window. After a few more moments he sighed. What was he doing? He knew Blake was a light sleeper and the last thing he needed was to have her wake up with him staring down at her! Mentally smacking himself he stood up and went to his bed. He sat down on it with a quiet groan and removed his boots. Leaving the rest of his clothing on, he settled down and went to sleep.

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><p>Blake was confused. She had heard Yue enter the bedroom, but had decided to continue pretending to be asleep. She had heard him take off several items and then make for the bathroom. When he had come out she had expected him to make directly for his bed, so when he instead walked over to her bedside she was surprised.<p>

Daring to crack open her eye a little, she peeked over at the young man. He was looking away from her, but she could still make out his eyes. They seemed burdened by something she couldn't describe. Closing her eyes, she tried to puzzle it out but couldn't make any headway. Deciding to leave it for another day, she drifted off.

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><p><strong>Beacon Academy<strong>

**September 6th, 2115 : Afternoon**

It had been a few days since initiation and they all had quickly gotten used to their unique situation. The first morning though had been horrible since Weiss had forgotten she was sharing a room with a boy and had started stripping off her nightgown directly in front of Yue's startled eyes. Needless to say the heiress had gotten extremely flustered and had used a glyph to fling the poor man out a window.

The afternoon hadn't gone much better when, after a particularity hard workout, Yue had walked out of the bathroom clad only in a towel around his waist while the girls were still in the bedroom. While Yang had wolf whistled and enjoyed the display in front of her, a certain heiress and Faunus didn't think the same. Once again the poor man was flung out the window, although thankfully keeping a hand on his towel.

The second day went a little better but only by so much. Ruby had been chasing after Yang, who had swiped one of her panties, and had been desperate to get them back before a certain young man returned from class. While she did catch her sister, unfortunately the force of her tackle knocked the panties out of Yang's hands and onto the head of Yue the moment he walked in. For the third time, the poor man was flung out the window.

The evening of that same day had went well until it was time for bed. Yue had agreed with Weiss, Ruby, and Yang that they would leave the room while he changed. Midway through removing his undershirt, Blake had come in through the window. The resulting shriek from the girl had caused the rest of her team to rush in. Yue didn't even wait and simply jumped out the window himself, shirt still halfway off.

After a few more such incidents, the entire team had finally been able to work out solutions for the various problems. If one were to ignore those incidents then it could be said that team RWBY actually worked quite well with one another. For the most part.

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><p>"Yea, Yue! Kick that guys ass!" crowed Yang as she pumped her arms excitedly. The rest off her team were giving their own shouts of encouragement to their teammate in the arena, although with a little more restraint.<p>

The person in question only acknowledged the yells with a wave of his hand. His opponent was severely lacking in experience and was already starting to tire. Each strike or lunge was easily dodged and sometimes he wouldn't even bother and would just catch the glaive with his hands before letting it go.

He glanced at the arena board and saw that his opponent's aura was almost in the red while his still remained full and green. Deciding to end it he ran forward, twisting side to side as his opponent launched a desperate assault.

"I commend you for your effort," he told the man as he avoided another attack, "But you still lack training." Reaching out with one of his hands, he grabbed the glaive like he had done on so many other occasions. This time though he didn't let go and ripped it out of his opponent's hands. Using his other hand he stepped forward and, using a palm strike, hit the man in the chest causing him to fly backwards into the wall where he collapsed unconscious.

"The match is over!" Professor Glynda called out. "Yue is the winner!"

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><p>"Man that was awesome Yue!" exclaimed Ruby, her mouth full, as they sat down eating lunch.<p>

"That guy was like whoosh and whoosh and hiya! But you were like swoosh and swish and then that hit at the end was like kapow!"

Jaune slapped his friend on the back and laughed while Pyrrha congratulated him on a fight well fought. Nora was in her own little world while Ren tried to keep her from going too far. His team, along with Cardin's, would often sit with them during mealtimes.

"It was nothing Ruby. I could tell my opponent wasn't a threat right from the beginning. It was simple to dispatch him." He continued to eat, ignoring the stunned looks that everyone was giving him.

"So cold Moonie," Yang whistled before catching the fork that flew at her head.

"Yang, I told you not to call me that," sighed Yue before grabbing his fork back.

Noticing the questioning looks from team JNPR and also team CDRL down on the other side of the table Yue explained, "My name, Yue, means moon if you were to translate it literally. Combine that with the fact that Yang often sees me staring at the moon and you can see where she got the name."

"Ha, nice one Yang!" Cardin and Yang fist bumped before both roaring in laughter. The two had become quick friends once they realized they both had a love of practical jokes.

Blake gave Yue a look of sympathy over the book she was reading, while Weiss tried unsuccessfully to quiet the two down.

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><p>"Hey Cardin!"<p>

As the big man turned to see who had called him he saw Yang running over to him with a large grin on her face.

"Oh, sup Yang? I take that grin means you have something planned for one of our friends?"

Punching the man in the shoulder, she laughed and waved his observation off.

"Not this time. Actually listen I need your help." Her voice turned serious and her eyes briefly flashed red.

Realizing trouble when he saw it, he narrowed his eyes and hunched over as Yang rapidly whispered into his ear. He was shocked to hear what she had to say.

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><p>"Hey freak! What are you doing here?"<p>

"Yea, shouldn't you be like cleaning some rich person's home?"

"Hey, maybe she's a prostitute!"

"Bah like anyone will pay to sleep with a monster!"

"I don't know man but maybe a Grimm would be willing!"

"Makes sense since they're both beasts anyway!"

The insults and yells continued to besiege Velvet as she tried to study outside on one of the many tables situated around the school.

_(J-just k-k-keep calm Velvet,)_ she repeated over and over in her head. _(I-if you ignore them they'll get bored and go away.)_

As she heard the yells cease, she relaxed a hair. _(See Velvet? It worked, they're gone.)_ As she looked around to see if they had indeed gone away, she froze. They had somehow sneaked up on her while she had been chanting to herself. She didn't even move when one of them grabbed her ears and pulled suddenly, causing her to gasp in pain.

"Ah!"

One of them sneered, "Oh look the monster has a voice. I wonder what else it can say." Gesturing at two of his partners to hold her in place, he took out a jar full of some strange brown liquid.

"Know what this is monster?" he whispered while holding it menacingly over her head.

She could only widen her eyes in fear and tried pleading with the man to let her go.

Chuckling darkly he opened it and a foul stench came from. With her Faunus nose, Velvet almost passed out from the smell.

"These are Beowolf droppings. Droppings that were left to stew under a hot sun and then mixed with piss and rotten fish. Quite a smell isn't it?" The man then poured it over her head slowly as they all laughed. The two who had been holding her quickly released her, but not before painfully hitting her in the side.

"Hahahaha! Now you smell just like the beast you are! How filthy. I bet no one will even dare to look at you again!"

_(I-i-it's ok Velvet. I-it's ok. I just g-gotta last until m-my team get's back from t-their mission. S-so don't cry. W-whatever you do, d-don't cry.)_ She gripped her hands tightly, feeling her nails dig into her skin. If she could only fight back, but if she did so she might get expelled as well. She felt her tear ducts start to loosen as the laughter continued around her.

_(Someone please help me,)_ she pleaded.

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><p>"YOU MOTHER F******!" Cardin roared as he brought himself down upon the bullies. Yang was right behind him, her eyes red and her hair on fire.<p>

The bullies could only gape in surprise as the two tore into them.

"ANIMALS! BEASTS! YOU DARE TO CALL YOURSELF HUMAN!?" he spat out as he punched one of them, sending him careening into a tree. Turning he swung a savage kick at another who was trying to run away and was rewarded with bones breaking. The man screamed in pain and fell, clutching his shattered kneecap, whimpering as he begged for mercy.

"MERCY!? YOU WANT MERCY!?" Enraged even more at that, Cardin picked the man up and slammed him into the ground, not even caring if he killed the man.

His eyes were wet from his tears. Tears brought on by rage and sadness. Seeing Yang pummel another one of the bullies senseless and into a bloody pulp, he grabbed the last one who had remained frozen in fear.

_(The bastard's pissed himself,)_ a corner of Cardin's mind observed. Taking one of his palms, he slammed it into the man's face while shouting, "WHY. DID. YOU. DO. THIS. YOU. WORTHLESS. PIECE. OF. TRASH!" A ear-shattering slap marking each word.

He only stopped once he realized the man had lost consciousness. Wiping the blood from his hands on the man's jacket, he tossed the refuse aside and looked for the Faunus, Yang and he had came to rescue.

She as still sitting at the table, stiff as a corpse and oblivious to her surroundings. The revolting concoction they poured on her soaking into her clothes and hair. Yang was already making her way over to her, since there were no other bullies around and her target was a bloody smear on the ground.

Calming himself down as best he could, he followed her. As he got closer to the girl the full smell of it hit him and he had to struggle not to vomit. Taking off his jacket, he tossed it over the girl. Yang looked up briefly from comforting the girl to smile at him.

Knowing he was out of his depth, he stepped back and observed the scene. Some students were passing by now and were staring shocked at the almost lifeless bodies that were laying on the ground. Others still tried coming close and were driven back by his glare. Several tense minutes passed by and he could hear in the distance Professor Oobleck's voice.

"Cardin," came a voice from his side. Startled he looked down and saw Yang staring at him. Her eyes were back to their original shade of lilac and a sad smile graced her face.

"I need you to take this girl, Velvet, to the nurse. I'll explain to the professors what happened. I just feel we need to get her away from here before more people show up." She stopped and waved at the gathering crowd.

"I would go," she continued, "But I think you would serve as a better deterrent than I would. Not much, but better." Her feeble attempt at a joke died as quickly as it had come.

"Alright." He turned and walked quietly over to where Velvet still remained. He noted that she was at least somewhat aware of what was going on and stared at him with renewed fear as he drew close. Part of him recoiled at that, bringing up memories of how he had once been in the same shoes as those he just beaten. Pushing those memories aside he smiled down at her.

"Velvet?" whispered Yang. She had come up behind him. "This is Cardin, he'll take you to the nurse ok? He helped me beat off those who hurt you."

Taking her gaze from him, she looked at Yang and then back at him before numbly nodding.

"Alright Cardin, that's your cue. Get her out of here now."

Nodding, he bent down and gently picked up the girl. He was amazed at how light she was. Remembering speed was the issue, he sharply nodded once at Yang before running off.

"Right then," Yang chuckled nervously as she saw Professor Oobleck walking over with Headmaster Ozpin, "I wonder how I should work this."

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><p>Velvet slowly came to. Her ears perked up at the feel of strange sheets and clothing on her. Not to mention a heavy weight on her hand. Rousing herself awake quickly, she saw that she was in the infirmary. Looking down to hand she was surprised to see two massive hands clasping them. Looking to the body that the hands were connected to she jumped a little before settling down. He was asleep. She thought he looked familiar but why?<p>

Suddenly the reason why she was in the infirmary rushed back to her. Cardin. Cardin and Yang. They had come to her rescue from those who had attacked her. She smiled at the sleeping man and realized she felt comfortable around him. Not to mention her hand in his was extremely warm and felt safe. Those hands that could...She blushed faintly as her mind started to wander to strange places.

Taking her other hand she reached up and felt her ears, before taking one and sniffing it. There was no leftover stench from the concoction that those bullies had poured over her. She breathed a sigh of relief. Now she just wondered how long she would have to remain here. Although, she looked back at the man named Cardin, it won't be necessary an unpleasant wait. Smiling again, she put her free hand on top of his and leaned back. She quickly feel asleep with one thought on her mind.

_(Cardin.)_

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><p><strong>Whew! Ok, that was a toughie. My longest upload yet! I had to think hard about how I wanted to go with this chapter and I think I did a pretty nice job! I tried to evenly space it between each of my three main characters and hopefully you all enjoy it!<strong>

**Also yes, I am definitely all aboard the Cardin x Velvet ship. It's gonna go full steam ahead and shall not sink! Toot! Toot! **

**And yes I'm also pushing for a Blake x OC pairing. It's my story so I can do whatever the hell I want! 8D **

**MWAHAHAHAHAHA!**

**As always. Enjoy! Oh and follow, favorite, review, etc if you can!**

**- Commissar Adrian of the Mordian Iron Guard**


	7. Character Sheet for Yue, Jaune, Cardin

This will serve as a reference to the three main characters in my fan fiction.

**NOTE: This will involve spoilers since I will be updating this as my story goes on! Only read if you are caught up!**

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><p>Name: Yue Yun Long (Moon Cloud Dragon)<p>

Status: Beacon 1st Year Student (Commissar of Joint Valean-Vacuo Armed Forces)

Weapon: Ave Imperator - Chain Sword, Honor and Loyalty - Colt Anaconda Magnums

Armor:

A.I. Attached: Silvana

Semblance: Unconfirmed

Age: 18 current (31 future)

Height: 6'0"

Hair Color: White

Eye Color: Dark Red

Aura Color: Black

Race: Human

Team: RWBY

Partner: n/a

Likes: A refreshing cup of coffee after a hard day, reading, writing, swordplay

Dislikes: Grimm, treachery

Personality: Calm, Collected, Analytical

Birthplace: Vale

Family: Father, Mother

Birthday: n/a

Additional Information:

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><p>Name: Jaune Arc<p>

Status: Beacon 1st Year Student (General of Joint Valean-Vacuo Armed Forces)

Weapon: Crocea Mors (Sword and Shield)

Armor:

A.I. Attached: Alicia Domicia

Semblance: Enhanced Healing/Unconfirmed

Age: 17 current (30 future)

Height: 6'1"

Hair Color: Blond

Eye Color: Blue

Aura Color: White

Race: Human

Team: JNPR

Partner: Pyrrha Nikos

Likes: Dancing, sleeping, sparring

Dislikes: Grimm, people who hurt others

Personality: Brash, Hard headed, Responsible, Unselfish

Birthplace: Vale

Family: Mother, Father, Seven Sisters

Birthday: n/a

Additional Information:

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><p>Name: Cardin Winchester<p>

Status: Beacon 1st Year Student (Major of Joint Valean-Vacuo Armed Forces)

Weapon: Mace

Armor:

A.I. Attached: Arabella

Semblance: Unconfirmed

Age: 17 current (30 future)

Height: 6'5"

Hair Color: Orange

Eye Color: Blue

Aura Color: Red

Race: Human

Team: CDRL

Partner: Russel Thrush

Likes: Machines, drinking, partying

Dislikes: Grimm, long winded lectures

Personality: Confident, Brash, Tinkerer

Birthplace: Vale

Family: Father - Bishop Winchester, Mother

Birthday: n/a

Additional Information:


	8. Chapter 4 - Minor Bumps - Part 2

**RWBY is the property of Monty Oum and Roosterteeth. Standard copyright mumbo jumbo.**

**New cover art by "kumafromtaiwan" author of the Henceforward AU series!**

**adrianblade dot devianart dot com - for higher res picture of cover photo**

**kumafromtaiwan dot tumblr dot com - for kuma's art and tumblr page!**

**Right so some of you might've read my first posting of Upload 7. Needless to say, I looked it over when I woke up in the morning and hated it. So I deleted it! Then re-wrote it. Before deleting that and re-writing it again! Damn my mind!**

**Revision 1 : Dec 2014**

**Revision 2 : Jan 2015**

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><p><strong>Town of Vale<strong>

**December 3rd, 2115 : Afternoon**

"That dress looks stunning Velvet. I'm positive Cardin will love it and if he doesn't I'll sock him so hard he will!" grinned Yang as she looked at the nervous Faunus girl standing in front of her. She glanced over at other girls in her team, as well as team JNPR minus Jaune, and saw them all nod in agreement.

"She's right Velvet," Ruby squealed, "It's so pretty!"

"Indeed," Pyrrha added, "It is a magnificent dress. Cardin should feel lucky."

Velvet blushed at the compliments and looked down in embarrassment. She wasn't used to having other people treat her nicely, outside of her own team. To be able to go out with other girls aside from Coco was an experience she hadn't believed possible. Hesitantly, she grinned at the girls surrounding her before turning and admiring the dress in a nearby mirror.

The knee-length dress was a deep blue, with decorative gold-lining trimming the corners and creases. It hugged her body, clinging to every curve and accentuated her chest. Taking her hands she moved them over the dress, marveling at the silky feel of the fabric. A corner of her mind started imagining how it would feel if it was instead Cardin moving his hands over her, but she quickly dispelled the thought. Turning back around she bowed. "Thank you."

"That's what friends are for!" beamed Nora before turning to her teammate and chuckling mischievously. "Now Pyrrha, it's your turn!"

Caught of guard, Pyrrha could only stammer a weak refusal before being dragged into another dressing room with the excited Valkyrie.

Yang, after giving a quick wink to Velvet, quickly joined them while Weiss and Ruby hurried off to find more dresses.

Ren shrugged and decided to go grab a bite from the cafe across the street.

Blake shook her head in amusement when she saw Velvet slack-jawed, then went back to her book. _(She'll learn to get used to it.)_ Turning the page, she wondered what Jaune and Yue were doing.

* * *

><p>"Hiyah!"<p>

"Oof!"

"Sha!"

*Clang*

Blades met in in the middle of the arena as the two men clashed.

Both were panting from the exertion, but neither wished to back down.

Spinning away from one another, they jumped back and stood to try and calm their erratic breathing.

They've been at it for almost an hour now and it showed.

Jaune's combat uniform, once clean and pristine, lay in tatters. Numerous shallow cuts lined his body. As he wiped his face, he winced as he rubbed against a large gash on his forehead. Normally he would've been healing and protecting himself with his aura, as well as wearing his armor, but the two had decided to have a good old-fashioned sword fight.

No aura.

No semblance.

No protection.

Just their skill with the blade and their reflexes. Tightening his grip on the borrowed sword from Beacon, he grinned at the man standing across from him.

Seeing Jaune grin at him, Yue responded in kind while assessing his own condition. His greatcoat and cap had been discarded almost immediately so they remained intact. His uniform, while still torn, was in a noticeably better shape than Jaune's. Also even though the number of wounds he bore were fewer as well, they were deeper.

Bringing his sword up, he once again marveled at how well Jaune fought considering that the man had no formal education like Cardin or he had. Sure, they all had experience from the war they had fought in the future as well as their years at Beacon, but it still didn't explain how quickly he had been able to learn everything.

_(Perhaps it's just natural talent?)_ he thought while he leap forward.

* * *

><p>Their blades clashed as Jaune parried Yue's strike, knocking it backwards.<p>

Jaune thrust forward, just missing the man.

Laughing, he blocked Yue's return blow and the two settled into another rhythm of attacks and counter attacks.

Their bodies twisted and weaved all over the arena as they strove to find an advantage, their swords whistling through the air.

Gasps for air becoming the only thing coming from their lips.

The crowd that had formed over the length of the fight was silent as they watched. Many of them had been shocked when they realized the two weren't using their auras, but it had quickly turned into admiration. The knowledge that any one strike could be fatal spoke volumes to how skilled the fighters were. Every eye was riveted to the battle taking place before them, desperately trying to soak up as much as they could before it ended.

* * *

><p>"Ow Ow Ow Ow! Pyrrha stop it! I can do it myself!"<p>

Jaune tried to squirm away from his partner as she applied antiseptic to one of his cuts on his arm. All his struggling though only caused her to tighten her grip while she smiled sweetly at him.

"Now now Jaune. We can't have you getting hurt again, do we?"

Reading the underlying threat, Jaune stopped struggling and remained still. He wanted to tell her that he could just use his aura to heal himself but decided not to. He recalled how furious Pyrrha had been when everyone had came back from their shopping trip and found Yue and him fighting. She had not bothered listening to his explanations and had dragged him back to their room to be treated.

As he let her work, time dragged on in silence, interrupted only at times by the sounds of a new bandage being opened. He didn't understand exactly why she had been so angry. _(I mean I was only having a friendly match with Yue! It's not like we were in any danger!)_ Confused, he risked a glance at her and was shocked to see that she had tears in her eyes. Without a second thought, he brought up his free hand and cupped her cheek.

She flinched when she felt him touch her. Blinking past the film of tears, she tried to compose herself before looking up at him. "Yes, Jaune?"

"Pyrrha...What's wrong?"

"I'm fine Jaune." She wiped her face with her sleeve. "Just got something in my eye, it's gone now."

Not convinced he stared deeply into her eyes. Normally they were clear and bright, like emeralds, but right now they seemed murky and out of focus. Something was casting a cloud over her and he was determined to find out the reason. "I don't believe you. Tell me what's troubling you Pyrrha. I'm your partner aren't I?"

"Are you?" Her heart clenched with pain when she saw the shock in his eyes, but decided to continue before he could recover. "Are we really partner's Jaune? Yes, we sleep in the same room. We eat our meals together and study together. We even fight together, but are we really partners?"

Releasing the bandage she had been applying, she got up and walked over to stare out the window in their room. She had to get it out now before she lost her nerve. Turning around to view the still man she shook her head.

"How many months has it been since we've been "partners" Jaune?" Before he could reply, she held up one of her hands, three fingers extended outwards. "Three months."

She let out a small laugh. "And in those three months I still don't even know who you are. You hardly talk to me or Ren or Nora. I mean you barely spend any of your free time with us! Most of the time I see you with Cardin or Yue rather than your own teammates!"

She sighed, "I had high hopes when you were made leader you know. You seemed sincere and nice when I meet you back in the locker rooms. And at first it seemed everything was fine. But as time went on we realized something didn't feel right with you. I know Ren and Nora would never say anything, they told me that you needed time."

Looking back out the window, she saw how the sun had started setting. "And that's what I did. I gave you time. I figured eventually you're open up to us and truly consider us as teammates. But then today we see you and Yue fighting and bleeding in the arena. Don't you realize how horrified we were to see you two in that state? And when we confronted you, you tried to give us a silly explanation!"

Walking over, she stood tall in front of him and stared. "What's wrong? You're what's wrong Jaune."

She saw his eyes shift and look away from her. _(The nerve!)_ Angry now she grasped his coat and pulled him up, hearing the cloth rip slightly. She was about to open her mouth and say something when his eyes turned back towards her. They were filled with sadness. Her anger disappeared as quickly as it had emerged.

"What's wrong Jaune?" she asked while aware of the irony.

* * *

><p>In another room, a similar event was happening.<p>

Yue was tied up on a chair and facing the glares of four very annoyed huntresses. "So what appears to be the problem?" he asked with an amused expression.

The four girls looked at one another before Weiss spoke up.

"You! You are the problem mister! What were you doing?!"

Confused by the question, he cocked his head to one side. "I was training?"

Ruby scratched her head before shaking it. "I'm sorry Yue, but are you sure that was only training? From our point of view it looked like you and Jaune were in a grudge match. I mean look at yourself!"

"Hmm." He looked his body over and wondered what she meant. (_Nothing really serious. Just some cuts and lacerations with some light-medium bruising. Should be fine after a little time.)_ His head went back up and he frowned. "I'm not sure what you mean Ruby. I assure you, it was a simple spar."

Yang sighed and rubbed her forehead. She took out a knife and cut the bonds to the chair. "Listen Yue. I'm not sure what you would call a spar, but this seemed a bit too bloody to be called that. I mean why weren't you using your auras to defend yourself?"

As he rubbed his wrists go get some circulation going again he said, "It's how Jaune and I practice. By not using our auras we are able to hone ourselves even further. Because a mistake could spell disaster, it causes us to be more cautious." He paused and his eyes dawned with understanding. "Ah. But something like that would look different to those looking in, wouldn't it? My apologies. I assure-"

Before he could say more, Blake was by his side examining one of his cuts. "Yue. This might seem like an odd question, but this wound should've started healing already due to your aura. How come it's still bleeding profusely?"

He glanced down and shrugged. "Ah. Well that's because my aura lacks any healing abilities."

They all stiffened and stared at him. "What do you mean?" asked Blake.

He sighed and pointed to his chest. "You know how aura protects us and serves as a shield for our bodies right?"

They all nodded. It was something every hunter and huntress knew.

"Well," he continued, "Then you would also know how aura speeds up our nature healing processes correct? How having one's aura unlocked virtually eliminates the need for most rudimentary treatments?"

Once again they all nodded.

"Unfortunately for me, while the former works fine enough, the latter seems to be the opposite for myself." One of his hands touched the cut Blake had studied. "Not only can my aura not heal even the simplest of wounds, it prolongs them and slows down the natural healing process." His other hand pointed to a bag by his bed. "It's one reason I keep that bag around. In it are potions and remedies that I made to help me alleviate some of the negatives with such a trait."

The girls all gazed at him silently.

Weiss slowly let out a held breath and fixed him with a sharp gaze. "Why haven't you told us this before?"

He looked to the side and scrunched his eyebrows in thought. _(Indeed, why haven't I said anything before? It isn't like I need to keep it a secret.)_ He looked back at them and bowed apologetically. "Sorry, I did not mean to keep it from you all. It just slipped my mind."

"Hmm." Yang moved closer to him and looked him up and down. She touched a scar on his body and asked, "Is that why you almost never wear t-shirts or the like Yue? Because of these scars?"

"Yea," he said with a smile. "My body is riddled with the things. Consider me vain if you must, but I don't like people seeing them."

Yang laughed and slapped him on the back. "Ah hell, I won't hold it against ya. Just do us a favor alright?"

He raised an eyebrow and saw the other three girls look at Yang before nodding. "Very well," he sighed, "What is it?"

"Just tell us next time you do something like this. That way we can be better prepared, ok?"

"Heh. You have my word." He focused on each of them before continuing, "I promise."

"Hmmph. Good." sniffed Weiss. "Now continue to sit there while Blake tends to your wounds. In the meantime Ruby and I have much to discuss." She turned to her partner. "Ruby? If you will?"

The two girls walked out of the room and Yang quickly followed. She winked at him before she closed the door behind her.

Meanwhile Blake had grabbed his bag and had already started to tend to his wounds. Her touch was delicate and he marveled at skillful she was._ (Then again,)_ he thought with a laugh, _(I really shouldn't be surprised. I know what she did prior to coming to Beacon after all.)_

"Yue."

He tilt his head down and cocked his head. "Yes Blake?"

"Do keep your promise alright? Misunderstandings like these are not fun for all of us." Her eyes were reproachful as they stared back at his.

"Of course Blake. Of course."

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><p>After her question, Jaune had told her to give him a few moments to think things through. He was pacing the room as she watched from her bed. She had already messaged Ren and Nora and had told them to stay away from the room until she called again.<p>

While Ren had been annoyed that she had done what she did, he knew why it had happened and promised to stay out until needed.

Nora was, of course, agreed with reluctance but she also knew it was for the best. After all she had similar experiences with Ren when they had been growing up.

After a few more minutes, Jaune finally stopped and looked at her. "I'm sorry Pyrrha."

He tapped the side of his head and frowned. "I guess I just never noticed how my actions were affecting you all. You could say I had a lot on my mind."

Pyrrha shook her head and sighed. "But that's why you should talk to us Jaune! We're a team remember. We're supposed to confide in one another."

"I know, I know Pyrrha." Putting his hands on his hips, he leaned back slightly and looked at the ceiling. "But I still can't tell you everything that's going on. There are things that I can only speak with to either Cardin or Yue."

"But why? Don't you trust us? Trust me?" Pyrrha felt like she was getting nowhere with the man. It made her want to scream, but she barely restrained herself.

Jaune chuckled, his lips twisted. "I do trust you Pyrrha. More than you could possibly know. The same goes for Ren and Nora, but once again there are things I just can't tell you."

She laid back on her bed, hands covering her eyes. "So what? We continue as we have? Pretend everything is fine when we all know its not?" She heard him walk over and sit down on her bed. The springs creaking from the added weight.

"No. While l can't promise l won't keep secrets from you, l can promise to be more open."

Lowering her hands she remained silent for awhile, then let out a long sigh. _(It would have to do.)_ Looking up she saw Jayne smiling faintly at her.

"And," he chuckled, " I will start spending more time with you guys. Especially you, partner."

She smiled back. "I'll like that."

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><p>"So Cardin. What's going on tonight?" Sky asked while organizing his medical kit.<p>

Stretching himself out, Cardin smiled. "A light workout tonight guys. Nothing too serious. Just a little Beowolf stalking. Should be done by midnight."

"Haha, alright!" Russel jumped off his bed and spun his daggers around, excitement filling his eyes. "I gotta say Cardin, when you first purposed these little trips I was sure you were crazy. Now I see how awesome they are!"

"Good to know man. Good to know." Reaching beneath his bed, Cardin brought out their armor sets. He had taken the time to make sure his team had proper sets of gear, rather than the poor excuses they had previously. Tossing one to Dove, he started to put his on.

"Thanks Cardin." After unzipping his hoodie, Dove quickly doned his breastplate. Looking at his leader he smiled. "Still how's it going with you and that Faunus chick? Velvet I think it was?" He dodged the pillow that was thrown at him.

Laughing, Cardin grinned, "Well that's one reason why you jokers are only having a light session. I got a date with her tomorrow morning so I need my beauty sleep!"

Smiles lit the faces of his team as they all congratulated him. It warmed his heart to see that his team had taken his contact with Velvet so easily. Then again they always had been decent guys. The only reason they had followed him before with the bullying during their first year was because they had been afraid of him.

Widening his grin, he hoisted up his mace and rested it on his shoulder. "Alright guys. Let's get going."

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><p>Yue had made for the roof the moment Blake had finished with treating him. She had not looked pleased and he knew he was in for it once he went back down. But he had wanted some time to think and it looked like he hadn't been the only one.<p>

"Hey Jaune."

"Heya Yue," responded the man while he looked over the school grounds. The moon was out and it cast its pale glow across the entire area.

"Girl problems?" For some reason Yue had a feeling that was the reason why Jaune was out.

"Yep. You too?"

"Aye."

The two men sighed. A few minutes passed by in silence.

"Pyrrha?"

"Yep. How bout you?"

"All four of them."

An intake of breath. "Ouch."

"You bet."

A slight breeze ruffled their hair. Both of them thinking about what had just happened to each of them.

"So," ventured Yue, "Big meeting of the minds."

"Same."

Another sigh.

"Think Cardin is having anymore luck?"

"Not sure Jaune, but I wish him the best."

"I think he has a date tomorrow."

"Bastard."

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><p><strong>Beacon Academy<strong>

**December 4th, 2115 : Morning**

"Alright Velv. Go knock him dead!" Yang laughed and pushed the girl forward.

Blushing already, Velvet greeted Cardin who had been waiting for her by the fountain.

"Heya Velvet! You look stunning." Crossing his arms he looked over at Yang before grinning. "I'm guessing Yang helped pick out that dress for you?"

Nodding furiously, Velvet covered her face with her ears. She wasn't ready for this!

Shaking his head in amusement, Cardin parted her ears and gave her a small kiss. Yang whistled in the background.

Stunned, Velvet could only stammer when he took her hand and lead her off to the airship dock. Her mind was racing at a million miles per hour and couldn't make sense of what was happening.

"I want her home in one piece!" called out Yang before they went out of earshot.

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><p><strong>As always. Enjoy! Oh and follow, favorite, review, etc if you can!<strong>

**- Commissar Adrian of the Mordian Iron Guard **


	9. Chapter 5 - Dustmas

**RWBY is the property of Monty Oum and Roosterteeth. Standard copyright mumbo jumbo.**

**Revision 1 : Jan 2015**

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><p><strong>Beacon Academy Dorms<strong>

**December 25th, 2115 : Evening**

"C'mon Jaune! Drink up!" laughed Cardin as he swung a whiskey bottle with wild abandon, some of its contents spilling and landing on his shirt.

Smiling, Jaune declined with an upraised hand as he sat on the couch with Pyrrha by his side, "Sorry Cardin, but I already had a few glasses. Anymore and I don't think I'll wake up in the morning!"

"Ah c'mon bud! What can a few more hurt?" Grabbing an empty glass, he poured an ample amount in before offering it to his friend.

Jaune looked at the brown liquid and a part of him did want to take it, but he quickly buried it. "I can't Cardin. I have something important to do in the morning and I really don't want to miss it."

Pyrrha beamed at his response and hugged him briefly. Ever since their conversation a few weeks ago, Jaune had taken steps to improve his relationship with her and the rest of their team. One such step was to spend more time with them, which included the shopping trip they had all planned for tomorrow.

Grinning, he gave her a quick squeeze and turned back to Cardin who still stood in front of them. "Besides," he pointed over to the bar where Sun was trying his best to out drink Yang, "if you need a drinking partner that badly, I think those two will gladly oblige."

Grumbling, Cardin turned and stumbled over to where his team sat playing Super Remnant Bros. and plopped down before grabbing a controller and joining in.

"You know Jaune," Pyrrha whispered, "I wouldn't mind if you wanted to drink more. Even if you do end up with a hangover, we could always wait and go later in the day."

Shaking his head, he cracked a grin. "Don't say that Pyrrha. Besides how could I prioritize drinking over spending time with my partner? Wouldn't be right! Besides my mom always told me to never keep a beautiful girl waiting."

She could feel her cheeks heating. "Flattery will get you no-where Jaune," she said as she tried to frown at him, although without much success.

Chuckling, he winked at her before replying, "Only telling it how I see it Pyrrha."

Tongue-tied she could only mutter incoherently while punching him in the shoulder.

"Ow! Pyrrha! Stop that!"

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><p><em>(What a beautiful night.)<em> As she lay watching the stars twinkle above, she could hear the laughter and yelling coming from below.

Ruby and Yang had decided to have a little party for Dustmas and had invited team CDRL and JNPR, as well as team CFVY and part of SSSN. While it had been fine at first, it had quickly escalated due to the alcohol that flowed freely.

She had left the party to get some peace and quiet. Sighing, she sat up and stretched her arms. While doing so, she felt a presence behind her and spun around.

Yue had walked out onto the roof and was making his way to the railing. He hadnt seen her it seemed, probably due to the fact it was a new moon and the rooftop was covered in long shadows; one of which hung around her like a cloak.

Deciding to observe, she sat still and silently watched her teammate. Her eyes were able to make him out as if it was a sunny day. She could tell that he hadn't partaken in the activites that were still ongoing below for his clothing was still as crisp as ever and his short trip to the edge had been controlled and stable.

As time slowly creep on, she began to wonder why he had come up. He had remained motionless after reaching the railing, except for the rise and fall of his chest when he breathed. Deciding she should make her presence known, for she felt like she was spying on the man, she got up and cleared her throat.

Spinning around, his hand reaching for the sword at his side, Yue's eyes widened in surprise when he saw Blake standing before him. Relaxing, he let go of the hilt and smiled. "Evening Blake. Didn't know you were there."

Dipping her head in acknowledgment, she gestured above her. "I was watching the stars."

He looked up. "Ah. They are indeed stunning tonight aren't they?" Returning his gaze to her, he frowned. "Sorry, I'll leave you to it."

As he made to walk to the door, she shook her head. "No, it's ok. I don't mind." Smiling at his confusion, she let out a small chuckle. "A night like this is meant to be admired. One more person won't take away from it."

Chuckling himself, he nodded. "True."

Together they stood by the railing and gazed up into the night sky.

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><p>"Alright Sun, time to get you to bed." Trying to get the Faunus under control though was difficult. Neptune ducked as a glass made for his head and heard it shatter behind him when it hit the wall.<p>

"Hahahaha! Neptune, did you know your hair is made up of sherbet? I wonder what it tastes like!" Jumping forward, Sun latched onto Neptune's shoulders before trying to take a bite out of the man's hair.

"God dammit Sun!" yelled Neptune as he flailed around trying to get his teammate off him. His hair was important!

"Whoa there monkey boy," laughed Yang as she walked forward to help, "We can't have prince charming here be bald!" Grabbing one of Sun's hands she started tugging.

Unfortunately her actions bought her own hair very close to the Faunus's open mouth. She let out a shriek when the man bit down.

* * *

><p>*Crash*<p>

Everyone's head turned just in time to see the back end of Sun fly out the window. They all gaped at Yang who stood there fuming, her fists clenched and hair flaming while Neptune ran out the door.

"Holy shit." Ren clapped his hand over his mouth, astonished that he had spoken out loud. He had meant for that to remain a thought only! Thankfully it seemed like no one had heard him. Letting out a sigh of relief he went back to studying the chess board sitting in front of him and Yatsuhashi. The silent man from CFVY was proving to be an interesting opponent.

After several moments of contemplation, he decided to move his knight to take the man's bishop. "Check." He grinned.

Yatsuhashi remained still, his face impassive, and then bowed. Taking one of his hands, he took Ren's knight with a pawn and tilted his head.

(That was unexpected.) Narrowing his eyes, Ren sought a way to make up for his blunder.

* * *

><p>"Alright Velvet," grinned Coco after she took a sip from her cup of Blue Mountain coffee, "How's it going with you and Cardin over there?" Pointing with an index finger, she indicated the large man who was currently arm wrestling Fox.<p>

The two girls were seated off in a corner by themselves on plush armchairs that they had re-purposed for the night.

Hiding part of her face behind the brown scarf she wore, Velvet blushed. "It's been like a dream Coco. I've never imagined something like this would ever happen! The last few weeks have been heavenly!" Closing her eyes, a smile on her lips, she thought back to their most recent date which had involved a trip to the annual winter fair.

As she reminisced, Coco widened her grin. She was glad her friend had finally found some measure of happiness in Beacon. Ever since their first year, Velvet had always been targeted because of her heritage and shyness. So when she had learned that Velvet was going out with Cardin, she had rejoiced. Raising an eyebrow in amusement she thought, _(Not to mention it seems like Cardin's confidence has started to rub off on her. She even decked a would be bully when the bastard tried to pull her ear.)_

* * *

><p>Taking another sip from her cup, she marveled at the taste and made a note to approach Yue about securing a supply of the coffee beans. Good coffee was hard to find, even at Beacon.<p>

"Ruby! I have procured the material called wrapping paper! Have I done well?" Holding out a roll of the peculiar material, Penny grinned while waiting for an answer.

Looking up from her taping, Ruby smiled and waved the girl over to her bed. "Great job Penny! We were about to just run out!" Grabbing the roll, she set about to finish covering the box she held in her hands.

Penny clapped her hands. "Joyous! I am so happy I can help you with your job of merry making Ruby! It is simply wonderful to see everyone in such a state of heightened emotions!"

Leaping forward, Nora laughed and agreed. "Isn't it Penny? I got Ren the perfect present too! Now I can show everyone that we're together, just not together-together cause that'll be kinda weird you see and I mean I would like it if it happened but I also don't because-"

As Nora prattled on with Penny listening intently, Ruby yawned slightly before looking over at her partner.

Weiss was in the process of wrapping up a present for Blake. _(I hope she appreciates this.)_ she thought after finishing. It had taken her days to think of the proper gift for the girl, especially after that disastrous harbor incident. Looking up she glanced over at Ruby before asking, "How many more do we have?"

"Just a few more Weiss! Only Yue's gifts are left!" Grabbing a cookie from the dish to her side, she quickly munched on it while going over a checklist she had made for the night. _(So far so good,)_ she thought, _(Only a few more things and this night will be perfect!)_

* * *

><p>"Alright guys, take care!" Yang smiled at team CFVY and CDRL as they left the room. Penny bowed before hopping out followed by Ren with Nora on his back, piggyback style.<p>

"Hey, thanks for having us over." Jaune whispered as he stopped, carrying a sleeping Pyrrha in his arms. The redhead had fallen asleep over the course of the night and his attempts to wake her had failed.

Cracking a wide grin, Yang winked and leaned over to whisper in Jaune's ear. "Don't do anything I would do alright?"

His face reddening, Jaune gulped and hurried out while stammering, "I w-wouldn't dare Yang!"

"Haha, sure you won't!" Closing the door behind him, she turned and surveyed the living room. Empty bottles and glasses lay everywhere and the garbage can was filled to the brim. Deciding that cleaning could wait until they woke up later, Yang stifled a yawn and headed to the bedroom.

Her team waited in a circle in the middle of the room. In front of each of them was a stack of four boxes and she took her seat in front of the last remaining stack.

"Sorry bout that guys," she laughed, "Had to make sure the kiddies were all let out!"

"It's quite alright Yang," said Yue, "But now that we are all here I believe we should start?"

* * *

><p>"Yea!" Bouncing up, Ruby quickly handed each one of her teammates a box. As they began unwrapping their respective packages Ruby explained what was in each one.<p>

"For Blake I made a cartridge belt. That way you can hold up to twelve different dust cartridges. That way you can change them on the fly depending on what you need!"

Nodding her thanks, Blake admired the leather-work of the belt. Ruby had taken the time to even carve in her symbol.

"Yang, I know you complained about how your gauntlets would sometimes cause you pain after hitting something particularly hard. That's why I made you a set of special shock absorbers that you can install on them!"

Leaning over, Yang gave her sister a crushing hug. "Oooh thank you sis! You're the best!"

Coughing a little from the hug, Ruby took a second to recover her breath before continuing. "Yue, I had to puzzle over what to make you and decided on a pair of holsters for your guns. Your current ones seemed quite worn out."

As he examined the holsters, he was pleasantly surprised to find that the name of each gun was etched into the sides. "This is very much appreciated Ruby."

After a quick grin, Ruby then turned to her partner, her face passive. "Weiss. I know we don't see eye to eye often but you've really changed since we first met. I hope you enjoy what I made for you."

Weiss couldn't speak due to the emotions assailing her at the moment. In her hands was a hand knit handkerchief that displayed the entire team of RWBY by their symbols in the shape of a X. A rose for Ruby. A burning heart for Yang. A belladonna flower for Blake. A sword for Yue. And in the middle the Schnee crest for herself. "Thank you Ruby." she was finally able to whisper.

"You're welcome Weiss," the girl replied as she smiled.

* * *

><p>"Right!" A loud clap rang through the room. Yang was all fired up. "It's my turn now!" She flung a box at each girl and the lone boy.<p>

"Blake! I got you some new panties! You need to change it up! Weiss! That's a box of Chill Pills. You need to keep cool! Ruby! A book about attracting boys! And Yue! A box of condoms. You're in a room with four lovely ladies! Get some use outa them!" Laughing manically, she clenched her sides.

"Sis!" A blushing rose.

"Now see here!" A furious snowstorm.

"YANG!" A roaring cat.

"..." A silent blade

Stopping suddenly, Yang looked at each of her teammates in the eye before declaring, "And a gift for all of you. The promise that if anyone ever tries to hurt either one of you. I will make sure they will pay and pay dearly." Her eyes briefly flashed red before turning back to their regular lilac.

The other four stared at her in silence and then started to chuckle. That was Yang for you. One moment vulgar and silly, but the next extremely protective and serious.

* * *

><p>"Well then," Weiss started, "I guess it's my turn now." After presenting each person with a present she smirked.<p>

"I'll have you know that I spared no expense in choosing these gifts. Yang. Vulgar as you are you are also one of the strongest first years at Beacon. For that I got you a special pair of modifications for your gauntlets. They will increase the weapons power and durability by a factor of two."

Without waiting for a reply, she turned to Yue. "For you I ordered one of the finest light armors I could find. Seeing as I have only seen you with your greatcoat, coupled with your lack of any healing aura, I decided the best way to help you would be to increase your defense. I will not tolerate any avoidable injuries."

The cat Faunus was next. "Blake. I got you a special pair of gloves. Seeing as you are very agile and use your black ribbon on your arm to great effect, these gloves should prove useful. They increase the strength of your grip and also allow you to latch onto surfaces, almost like claws."

Her gaze softened as she turned to her leader and partner. "Ruby. I had to change my mind many times when selecting what I should get you. In the end I decided on finding the rarest fairy tales I could from bookshops all over Vale. I hope you like reading them."

"Dang Weiss, you really went all out." whistled Yang. She was admiring the mods in her box and realized they were the ones that she had seen in a magazine a month ago. They weren't supposed to be available for another six months!

Yue had already put on the armor. It fit easily under his greatcoat and felt like it didn't weigh anything at all. Examining the material, he could tell it was a special weave of titanium and some other metal he couldn't properly identify.

Blake had also put on her present. The gloves were form fitting and felt like a second skin. They didn't restrict the movements of her hands and also seemed to enhance her sense of touch. She decided to move Weiss up a few ranks on her internal ranking board.

Pages flipped quickly as Ruby pooled over the books Weiss had given her. There were a dozen different volumes and she couldn't recognize a single one. Given her extensive reading history when it came to fairy tales, that was a remarkable feat. She could only stammer her thanks to Weiss.

* * *

><p>Setting aside her new gloves, Blake silently handed out her gifts.<p>

"Weiss. An old book I found that teaches advanced versions of the glyphs you use. I'm told only a few dozen still exist to this day."

"Ruby. A book of advanced tactics and thought processes for a leader. I was told the author was a famed teacher in years past by the name of Sun Tzu."

"Yang. A book that compiles the teachings of various martial arts from around the world written and referenced by some of the most respected fighters currently alive."

"Yue. A book that contains the recipes of advanced herbal potions. Ren told me it consists of several family recipes that you would find useful."

Finishing, she smiled at her choices as the four looked in wonder at the books in their hands. Each one could be considered a treasure and they weren't ones you could just find in any book store. _(Pays to have connections of...dubious natures.)_

Weiss knew how rare the one in her hands was. It was something she had repeatedly searched for since she had started using her semblance. _(Where did Blake find this book?)_ she wondered as her fingers traced the cover and binding.

_(Another book!)_ Ruby's head swam as she tried to imagine how long it would take to read them all. She couldn't wait to get started.

"Kickass, partner." Yang nodded approvingly. She already was getting ideas from the first few pages she glanced at. Normally she wasn't fond of reading but she could make an exception for this one.

Yue was nodding thoughtfully. Even after all his years of study, he knew his knowledge about herbal remedies was severely lacking and this book Blake had just gifted him proved it. Several potions he had always made could now be considered obsolete and an inefficient use of resources.

* * *

><p>Setting the book aside, Yue passed around his presents and cracked a small smile.<p>

"Unfortunately, after all your gifts I am afraid mine might seem a bit lackluster. I still hope you like them though."

He pointed at Ruby. "Your love of cookies is well known to all of us. Therefore in your box you will find recipes for the tastiest cookies I could find from all across Remnant."

Ruby's eyes widened as she tore into her package.

Turning his attention to Yang, he chuckled. "Yang, I know how much you love your hair. After all, I experienced that first hand back in the forest. In your box is a collection of the finest hair products that grace the shelves of Vale."

"Ha, nice one Yue." cracked Yang.

He gave Weiss a small bow. "Seeing as you are a heiress to a vast dust company I don't know if you will like this but nonetheless. Your box contains the finest ice crystals that I personally cleaned and checked for any impurities or imperfections."

As she took out one of the crystals, Weiss gave a grudging nod of approval. The crystal rivaled ones she had seen back home in her father's personal collection.

His eyes fell on Blake and he coughed faintly. "I think you might find your present to be interesting to say the least."

Curious, she carefully opened the lid and her breath caught._ (A signed copy of Ninjas of Love and the yet to be released sequel Ninjas of Love 2! As well as a letter from the author!)_ Keeping her face calm was a mighty feat but one she accomplished. She dipped her head in thanks.

Glad to see his gifts were well received , he decided to get up and look out the window.

_(Ah, it's beginning to snow.)_

* * *

><p>Jaune's breath misted in the air as he sat outside with Pyrrha still in his arms. He wondered why he hadn't went right back to his room and instead had come out. It had made sense at the time but now seemed silly.<p>

Looking down, he was concerned to find her shivering a little. Using his aura, he covered his partner with it, much like he had already done with his own body. The shivering quickly disappeared and she even snuggled closer to his chest! Blushing, he tried to focus on something else. Looking up, he was surprised to see snow coming down.

As he continued to watch it fall, he didn't notice that Pyrrha had woken. As she peered at him through slightly parted eyes, she reveled in the warmth of his aura and smiled. She didn't know why they were outside but she was gonna take advantage of it. Pretending to be adjusting while still asleep, she moved closer to the man holding her and nestled her face on his shoulder. She would enjoy this as long as she could.

* * *

><p>"Ren! It's snowing!" Nora shouted while twirling about and trying to catch snowflakes with her tongue.<p>

Smiling, Ren nodded while enjoying the sight. He fingered the ring in his pocket and wondered when was the best time to present it to his long-time childhood friend. As the snow started to collect on the ground, he shook his head. _(There would be time later.)_

"Alright Nora," he called, "We really should be getting back to our room. Remember our plans tomorrow."

"Ok Ren!"

* * *

><p>"Urgh, remind me never to drink around Yang again." murmured Sun as he leaned over a trashcan. His head still spun from when she had launched him out the window. Thankfully there had been a bush just below, but it still had smarted.<p>

Neptune was standing right besides him. "Agreed, I could do without the headache next time." He reached out and passed his hands through the snow falling around them. "Let's get going. We're not dressed for this type of weather."

"Urmph. Blergh." Sun's body shook as his body betrayed him.

"Argh. Dude careful."

* * *

><p>Ozpin watched from his office as the snow began to pile on the school grounds. Glynda stood a little to the side of him, ever watching. Sighing, he turned and re-ran a certain conversation he had captured on a rooftop. He had spent time gathering information and it was soon time to take a step.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>So I said harbor scene right? And Torchwick and the White Fang? Nah. Decided to skip over it and I'll make a passing mention of it later. It's still important but I wanted to use this chapter to enhance the relationships between the characters. Also I did introduce Penny and Sun! Kinda! Don't worry it'll make sense soon enough!<strong>

**I guess you can think of this as a cross between a Christmas special chapter and a regular chapter. I don't know, you can take it however you will! You have that right!**

**As always. Enjoy! Oh and follow, favorite, review, etc if you can!**

**And a Merry Christmas to all of you! Or if you don't celebrate that. Happy Holidays! **

**- Commissar Adrian of the Mordian Iron Guard**


	10. Chapter 6 - Changes - Part 1

**RWBY is the property of Monty Oum and Roosterteeth. Standard copyright mumbo jumbo.**

**Remember to support the official release!**

**Also those who've been following this fan fiction. See the change in title? Yea I changed it. **

**_A Second Chance - Initium Novum_ translated means _A Second Chance - A New Beginning_**

**Isn't it fitting? No? Well bugger...I'm still keeping it.**

**Revision 1 : Jan 2015**

* * *

><p><strong>Town of Winston<strong>

**January 3rd, 2116 : Morning**

"This is Phantom Squad. Awaiting orders." As Lieutenant Clint waited for a response, he surveyed his surroundings. His team and him, all clad in camouflaged fatigues, were crouched on a hill that overlooked Winston, the town they had been ordered to check. A sea of trees circled the area, broken only by a lone dirt road that threaded its way into the town.

Taking his binoculars, he looked for any signs of activity. Strangely enough, even though it was midday, there wasn't anyone up or about. He focused on the town's marketplace. Stalls lay unattended, yet each one had goods or merchandise piled high. As he mulled over that observation, his earpiece crackled to life.

"Phantom Squad. This is Central. Proceed as previously directed. Radio in whatever you find."

"Copy." He turned to his team and began issuing commands.

"Connor. You're my best shot so I want you to remain here to provide support in case something happens."

The brown-haired man flashed a wide grin and nodded before patting the sniper rifle at his side. "Don't worry sir. If anything pops its head up, a .308 round will make sure it regrets such a decision."

"I'm counting on it Connor," Clint replied grimly, "Something about this whole matter doesn't feel right with me." He turned to the red-headed Morales twins. "I want you two to check out the town's police station and communications hub. Look for anything that could tell us why this town ceased radio contact five days ago. But be careful." As they both nodded silently and crept off, he looked to his last remaining teammate.

"Alright Davis," he said, "We're going to check out town hall."

* * *

><p>He shifted through the papers on the police chief's desk as his sister looked into the terminal. Several items caught his eye, including one about a problem in the town's energy station. Picking it up he read through it. As he did so his eyes began to narrow. "Sister," he began, "How far are you into the logs?"<p>

"Just got past the encryption Brother," she answered. "What do you need?"

Wordlessly, he passed the paper to her. He watched as her eyes scanned it and similarly narrowed before turning back to the terminal. Her hands typed rapidly on keyboard, the sounds reminiscent to that of machine gun fire.

"Got it." She shook her head once before reading out loud, "It says here contact was lost with the energy station and a team had been sent out to investigate the reason. Oddly enough the team went silent only a few moments after entering the building. Another team was then sent after them but the same thing occurred. The last recorded message had the chief leading the third foray, this time with two teams."

They were both silent as they digested the information. A town of this size normally had a police force of around thirty or so men. A standard police team consisted of six members. Which meant that at least twelve, maybe twenty-five, officers had went into the energy station and never came back out. Not to mention police teams out here on the fringes of Vale were often very well equipped. They had to be, they faced Grimm almost on a daily basis. Most of them were often retired soldiers or former hunters/huntresses as well.

They considered the empty streets they had walked through. The odd feeling that they were being watched every step of the way. The Lieutenant had been right. There was something definitely wrong with this town.

"I'm contacting the Lieutenant, he needs to know about this." He was about to key his mic when he saw something approach them rapidly from the corner of his eye.

"Watch out!"

* * *

><p>"Find anything Davis?" asked Clint as he crumbled up the paper in his hand. So far their search in the town hall had yielded nothing worthwhile. He could only hope the Morales twins were having a better time of it.<p>

"No sir." The man finished flipping through the book in his hand and tossed it back onto the shelf in disgust. He had lost count of how many books he had already went through. Each one somehow worse than the last. "These people didn't keep proper logs. What a disgrace."

"Probably be glad they even kept records at all." Sighing in exasperation, Clint looked around the records office. Just like the rest of the building, a thin layer of dust covered everything around them. "What I want to know is where is everyone? We haven't seen a single person or even a corpse. It's as if they all just disappeared."

Davis chuckled good naturally. "It's like that movie we saw last week. You know, that one about how an evil spirit devoured an entire town and the hero had to somehow stop it before it happened again. Good movie if I recall, even if it was a bit odd."

"Indeed." He sighed as he cracked his neck. "In any case staying here any longer will be a waste of time. There's nothing here at all." Tapping his wrist monitor, he pulled up the frequency the Morales were on. "Eric. Erin. Report."

* * *

><p>"E..c...rin..Repo.." The Lieutenant's voice came out scratchy and disjointed from Eric's earpiece as it lay on the ground covered in blood. His head lay nearby, severed from the rest of his body which lay in pieces, his face in a state of shock. Eyes wide and mouth open in a silent scream. His sister was embedded in the wall by a giant spike, her neck at an odd angle and her arms cut off at the elbows. Several chunks of flesh were missing from her abdomen. Blood pooled beneath their bodies and countless shell casings littered the ground around them.<p>

The Lieutenant's voice came again. "Mora...ome..In." A large figure unfolded itself from the corner it had settled down in and approached the instrument that was interrupting its sleep. It sniffed the item curiously and touched it with one of its claws. When Clint's voice came out for the third time, it brought down a large clawed hand, crushing the earpiece. Satisfied, it went back to the corner and sunk back down, eager to go to sleep after its most recent meal.

* * *

><p>"Ah!" Static filled his ears when the connection suddenly cut off. Ripping off his earpiece he stared at it in surprise.<p>

Davis was looking over in concern. "What's going on?"

"I'm not sure. Eric and Erin weren't picking up and now the connection just went dead." Frowning as he put his earpiece back in, he keyed Connor's frequency. "Connor, come in."

A few tense seconds passed before the man answered. "This is Connor. What's up Lieutenant?"

"Connor. Do you have a visual on the police station?"

"Sure do Lieutenant. Thermal imaging and everything. What, the twins being moody again?" The man's voice held a trace of amusement.

"Something like that. Mind giving the station a sweep and telling me what you see?"

"Can do Lieutenant. Standby."

As time seemed to drag on, Davis tried to lighten the mood. "C'mon sir, I'm sure they're fine. Remember who we're talking about here. Those two have seen some crazy shit alongside us. Hell, remember when Eric punched an Ursa Major so hard, it's head flew clear off? Without aura too!"

Clint shook his head. As much as he would like to shake off the feeling he had and laugh it off, he couldn't. When his earpiece buzzed, he set it so Davis could listen in as well.

"Sir." The mans voice was deathly serious. "I just completed my scan of the compound. I think I found the twins, but I can't be sure. In a room on the upper left side, the police chief's room it looks like, I'm seeing three distinct thermal figures. Problem is, one of those figures is too large to be considered human. The other two figures are...scattered around the room. I'm sorry sir but I'm going to assume the worst."

"Shit!" He slammed his fist into the wall, cracking it and causing several books from a nearby bookshelf to come tumbling off. Realizing what he had done, he took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He couldn't afford to get angry now. Once he gained back his composure, he spoke into his mic. "Connor. I want you to maintain your current position. If something so much as twitches I want you to tell me. Davis and I are going to check out the situation ourselves."

Silence.

"Connor? Come in."

Once again silence. Worried now, he cursed and tried again.

"Damn it Connor, if you're there respond. Give me a signal or something."

After waiting a minute, with still no response, Clint tore off his earpiece and threw it to the ground. "Dammit!" Breathing heavily, he unsheathed his sword and took out a dust vial that he then clipped into a space in the blade. After pressing a button on the hilt, the dust activated and covered the entire sword in a red glow. "Davis."

"Yes sir?" the man replied, his own sword in hand as well.

He took another breath, to allow him time to gather his thoughts, before speaking. "As much as I would like to leave now, we can't. We need to find out what we're dealing with here and report back to Command. Otherwise the next team they send will be walking headlong into a mess they won't be ready for."

Davis laughed, a large toothy grin lighting his face. "Ah hell sir. Just another day for us then."

* * *

><p><strong>Graveyard<strong>

**January 17th, 2116 : Evening**

Clint walked away from the funeral. He couldn't continue facing the parents of the men and woman that had died under his command. While they told him they didn't blame him, while their lips spoke of forgiveness and understanding, their eyes spoke a different story. They stared at him accusingly. Why had he lived while their son or daughter had died? Couldn't he have done something?

Ever since the mission, he had asked himself the same questions. If he had done something different, perhaps his team would still be alive. Maybe if he had suggested for all of them to go together, perhaps the Morales twins wouldn't have faced that abnormal Grimm alone. Together they might have had a chance. Or perhaps if had decided to leave the moment he couldn't contact Connor, maybe Davis would've still been around at least.

Combined with that were the nightmares. Every night he would be back in Winston, facing off against that beast, that creature. It had been nothing like he'd ever faced. It had shrugged off Davis's and his attacks like they were minor irritations. Aura fueled blows had only slowed it done momentarily. The only reason he had lived was because of Davis. The bastard had pushed him out the window before activating his semblance. The resulting explosion had brought down the entire building.

He had been found a few days later, almost delirious from thirst and hunger, when the replacement team had been sent.

And his debriefing? It was a nightmare. No one believed his story about the abnormal Grimm and told him he was just suffering from the trauma of losing his team. That it was just his mind trying to help ease the pain. When he continued to press the issue, the upper echelon had regarded him as a lost cause and then gave him a honorable discharge.

Yet, there was someone who did believe him or at least seemed to. His old teacher at Beacon had called him up one day after hearing what had happened to him. He had then been invited to go back to Beacon and work as a combat instructor, with the headmaster's approval no less. To share his experience with the new students, and in exchange he could use Beacon's substantial resources to collect more information about what he had fought in Winston. It was an offer he couldn't refuse.

* * *

><p><strong>Beacon Academy Airship Docks<strong>

**January 20th, 2116 : Afternoon**

"Clint! It is good to see you again my dear boy!" Peter Port beamed, his mustache dancing on his lips, as he charged forward. and gave the man a crushing bear hug.

"I-it's good to see you too Professor Port." he could barely breath and was starting to feel faint. Thankfully before he could actually do so, the big man let him down and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Please. We'll be working together from now on Clint! Call me Peter! Hohohoho!" Still laughing, he bent down and grabbed the man's bags. "Come now my boy, adventure awaits!"

Clint couldn't help but smile. He was already feeling better just by standing on his old stomping grounds. (Maybe this was a good idea after all.) he thought as he followed after the boisterous man, his boots crunching on the freshly fallen snow.

* * *

><p>"Now I'm sure you're wondering why I called the three of you here today." Ozpin said as he gazed upon the leaders of teams JNPR, RWBY, and CDRL as they stood in front of him in his office. He couldn't help but smile at how nervous Ruby was compared to the other two. <em>(Hardly surprising though,)<em> he reflected,_ (Those two and Ruby's teammate are different from the others. In ways I could never have imagined.)_

Rising from his chair, he pressed a button on his desk. A holo-screen popped up on a pedestal next to the desk and he walked over to it. Waving the team leaders over, he showed them a summary of last week's harbor attack. "Now since all three of your teams were involved in this, including one member of team SSSN, I deemed it necessary to show you what has been uncovered from the investigation."

He took out a remote and clicked through the various screens.

Blake with her sword against Torchwick's throat.

Jaune dueling a White Fang member on top of a cargo container.

Sun fighting against Torchwick with his nunchucks.

Ruby getting knocked back by Torchwick's dust attack.

Nora hammering a black suited man into the ground.

Russel doing a suplex on another White Fang member.

Penny bringing down a Bullhead single handily.

The pictures went on and on.

Finally they rested on a picture of Torchwick boarding a Bullhead with three blurred figures already on-board. Magnifying the picture, Ozpin bought the three people into focus. "It has been realized that while Torchwick is indeed a major threat, he is only a puppet being controlled by these three. Or more importantly, this one." He pointed at the person in the middle of the three.

Ruby gasped. "That woman! She was there at the night of the dust robbery!"

Ozpin nodded, pleased at her memory. "Correct Miss Rose. This woman we have identified as a person by the name of Cinder Fall. We, that is myself and the local authorities, believe she is the mastermind behind the recent string of dust attacks. She merely is using Torchwick to do the dirty work and take the blame for such actions." He frowned before continuing. "Although why she is doing so is something we've yet to find out."

He went back to his desk and pushed another button. Another holo-screen popped up. A transcript was shown on the screen, with Cinder's picture on the upper right hand corner. "But as fortune would have it, it seems our little mastermind has decided to come to Beacon during the the coming Vale Festival and Tournament. As a student of Haven no less."

Jaune stepped forward and examined the picture of Cinder closely. If he remembered correctly, in the previous timeline she had done massive damage to Vale when the festival had been in full swing. He grinned.

While he had an idea why the young man might be grinning, Ozpin decided to pretend to be confused. "Mr. Arc? Is there something amusing about this situation?"

Shaking his head, Jaune stepped back. "Sorry Headmaster. Just got enthralled by her pretty face."

"Well, do remember Mr. Arc. Looks can be deceiving." He stared at the young man intently before turning back to the screen. "Which brings us to the main reason why you are all here. While this is something I would normally trust to more seasoned individuals, your teams have done exceptional ever since the beginning of the year. You have exceeded expectations across the board and all your professors have been giving you excellent reviews. That is why I will be trusting you with this task." He paused to gauge their reactions.

While Ruby had stars in her eyes and almost seemed to be hovering with excitement, Jaune and Cardin both had exchanged a look before facing him with serious expressions. Their eyes were focused, almost eerily so.

He gestured to the screen where Cinder Fall and the other two were still focused on. "When Ms. Fall and her accomplices, named Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai, come to Beacon in a month for the festivities, I want your teams to keep tabs on each one of them. That does not mean that you must follow them everywhere, but simply to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Understood?"

Cardin growled and cracked his knuckles. "Understood Headmaster. Permission to crack skulls if said persons commit suspicious activities?"

Ozpin picked up a coffee cup from his desk and brought it in front of his face to hide his grin. "Permission granted Mr. Winchester." Before the young man could celebrate he added quickly, "So long as you inform myself or Glynda before you, amen, crack skulls."

"Bummer."

* * *

><p>"Alright Blake. That's enough, now bring it out and slowly hammer it." ordered Yue as he supervised her modifications to her sheath. She had mastered the art of dust smelting a few weeks before and he had decided to teach her the next step. Using said dust smelting but also incorporating aura tempering to strengthen weapons.<p>

Next to them, Yang and Pyrrha were both busy making aura enhanced bullets while a little further off Sky and Dove were alternating strikes on a piece of armor. Jaune, Cardin, and him had decided to teach their entire teams the blacksmithing techniques they knew and it also served well as a team bonding exercise. Nothing said trust like handling dangerous materials in a hazardous environment!

_(Although there are others outside of our teams who are also picking up these skills,)_ he thought with a smile.

Team CFVY had jumped aboard the train when they had seen the effectiveness of the rounds during a routine Grimm extermination mission. He had barely escaped a very personal encounter with Coco. The woman had ambushed him on the way back from the showers. If it had not been for Ren, he would've been...interrogated and he wasn't sure he would've resisted much. Thankfully Cardin had taken over on that end. God bless the man and his love for Velvet.

As he mused over the relationship between the human and Faunus, he heard someone call his name. Turning around, he spotted Nora and Ren walking towards him. He waved in greeting and waited until they got closer. "Nora. Ren. Nicely meet. How are you?"

"We're AWESOME Yue! Just came over to say hi cause that's what friends do and I think we're friends so I mean it's the right thing to do and I hope you don't mind but Ren and I were thinking well more like me that if you could help us with a date?" She finished with a gasp and blushed furiously while Ren nervously scratched the back of his head.

To say that Yue was surprised would've been an understatement. As far as he could remember, Nora and Ren had not made their relationship official until almost the end of the first year. To have it happen six months in advance was a complete shock. As his mind rushed to catch up, he managed to choke out a few words. "S-sure? But why me?" He laughed lightly, "It's not like I have a girlfriend or anything of that nature."

"Welllll," Nora began, "I don't know! You just seem the type you know?" She beamed at him, her previous embarrassment already forgotten.

_(Sometimes I wonder how Ren has maintained his sanity around her,)_ Yue thought while admiring the man. While he racked his head for ideas, Pyrrha spoke up, her work momentarily forgotten.

"Nora. Something simple could work. Why not go to a cafe and then see a movie together? It's not like you have to impress each other, correct?" she said as she smiled at her two teammates.

"PYRRHA. YOU. ARE. A. GENIUS." shouted Nora. "CMON REN. LET'S GO!" Dragging the poor man after her, Ren was able to wave goodbye before the two disappeared outside.

"Well that was a thing." stated Yang.

Yue chuckled at her, "Not your catch phrase. Got it."

"Oh be quiet Moonie."

* * *

><p>"So Jaune."<p>

"Yes Pyrrha?"

The two were snuggled up in Jaune's bed that evening while Ren and Nora were eating dinner in the city. One of his hands lay behind his head while the other one rested on Pyrrha's shoulder. Pyrrha herself had wrapped her arms around Jaunes abdomen and had her head on his chest. A light blanket covered them both.

"I was just thinking. When should we tell everyone?"

He looked down in confusion. "Tell everyone what?"

She blushed a pretty pink and used one of her hands to pitch his side lightly. "About us."

"Ahhh." He rubbed his nose with the hand that had been behind him and smiled. "Well I'm pretty sure Ren and Nora already know. I think Yue and Cardin also have a good idea as well. Not to mention the rest of their teams." He laughed. "Actually I'm pretty sure all our close friends already know or have an idea that something is happening."

"What?!" Pyrrha was shocked, she couldn't believe that was possible. She buried her face into his chest and blushed even fiercer.

"Hahaha, what? Is it really that bad if they already know?" He sat up and bought Pyrrha up with him. Seating her on his lap, he ran one of his hands through her hair, marveling at the silky feel.

"Well...I guess not," she whispered. Turning her face towards his, she leaned forward and pecked him gently on the lips. She still couldn't believe how well everything had went when she had confessed. As she settled into a another kiss, she thought back to the day.

* * *

><p>It had been a few days after the Dustmas party. She had remembered vividly every single moment that she had spent with Jaune and she already started to miss his presence. She had been so close to him for so long and her body ached to feel him again.<p>

To compensate, she had left class early that day and rushed to their room. She knew he often took off his sweater and left it on his bed while he went to Dust Studies. Something about not wanting to get it dusty. Either way when she had arrived, the sweater had lain exactly where she had envisioned it. Squealing with uncharacteristic delight she had thrown it on and inhaled his scent. The very smell intoxicated her and she had breathed in long and deep. She just didn't realize how long.

Jaune had walked in laughing together with Yue and Cardin when they saw her. To make matters worse she hadn't gone to her bed but had remained on Jaune's. Needless to say she blushed as red as her hair and the other two men had bid a hasty retreat, although not before winking at Jaune. They had stood silently, awkwardly, neither of them wanting to make the first move.

Jaune had caved first. "So, nice weather we're having huh Pyrrha?" he had asked. A groan had risen from his lips shortly after at his awful attempt at small talk. Fortunately for him, it had been enough to get her to giggle. Once that happened the awkwardness quickly disappeared. Soon enough they were together on his bed, talking about their day and Jaune never asked why she was wearing his sweater.

At a particular point, she had somehow worked up to nerve to ask him how he felt about her. His face had gone red as a tomato and her face matched his, shade for shade. While he stammered something about "admiration" and "respect", she had continued to stare directly in his eyes. She had been able to see that he wasn't being entirely truthful and had continued to pursue the matter. Soon enough he had gone silent, although his blush remained.

Daring to take another step, she had confessed to him. Saying how for the longest time, ever since initiation, she had been attracted to him. And it had only strengthened as time went on. It was only in the last few weeks or so that is had grown to the point where she could no longer ignore it anymore.

He hadn't responded to her confession and for several long minutes she had despaired, thinking that she had read too much into his feelings and that she had just ruined a beautiful friendship. When she had apologized for her actions, and said that she would be glad to just be friends, he unexpectedly kissed her. It had paralyzed her, partly due to shock but mostly due to joy. His lips had been soft and gentle and drew her in. It only took a moment longer for his mouth to part hers and their tongues had then danced with one another. Only when they had to finally draw breath, did they part from one another. A warm smile had been shared between themselves before joining again in another long and deep kiss.

* * *

><p><strong>Boom! Yep I went and did that. In one upload I put formed the Renora and Arkos. Or more like finished the two ships. Hahahahaha. Righto.<strong>

**Anyway I need a few ideas for names for Grimm. Something edgy and cool and hip and *gun shot***

***cough***

**I mean Grimm names that have a nice meaning to them. Personally I prefer using German or Latin words as some of you could probably tell.**

**Like Lowe means Lion so Lion Grimm!**

**Spitzmaus means Shrew so Shrew Grimm!**

**Caetus means Shark?Fish?Something Aquatic! so Something Aquatic Grimm!**

**...yea I need ideas. Give me some dammit! **

**The next week or so I'll be doing my best to party and relax after a stressful semester of college. PARTY! Woooo! (Although I'll prob spend it video gaming)**

**Anyway like always. Enjoy! Remember only you can stop forest fires! ****Oh and follow, favorite, review, etc if you can!**

**- Commissar Adrian of the Mordian Iron Guard**


	11. Chapter 6 - Changes - Part 2

**RWBY is the property of Monty Oum and Roosterteeth. Standard copyright mumbo jumbo.**

**Changed the titles of the chapters to try and bring them more in line to what I want from them. Meh.**

**Right. Now with the upload you guys came here to read! (I think?)**

**Revision 1 : Jan 2015**

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><p><strong>Beacon Academy Dorms<strong>

**February 2nd, 2116 : Evening**

"It's been nice, hasn't it Jaune? Cardin?" yawned Yue as he leaned back in his chair and stretched out his arms. The three of them were seated around a table in Cardin's room. The man's teammates had all gone back home for winter break and weren't due back for another few days.

In response Jaune sighed and looked out the window, at the snow covered grounds, before answering. "Yea, the last five months have been amazing. The fact that we're here sometimes still astounds me." He tapped the papers piled in front of them and shook his head in amazement. "Also other than a few hiccups here and there, we've accomplished much already."

"Aye. Which reminds me. I just got this from my father." Cardin pulled out a folder from his backpack and laid out the contents. It was series of pictures taken of various aircraft in different states of completion. "You both remember how my family is known for weapon's production right?"

Jaune and Yue nodded their heads in confirmation.

Winchester Armament, which had started as a small company called Winchester Rifles, was now one of the largest arms manufacturers in Remnant. They produced everything from the smallest daggers and pistols to giant warships and siege weaponry.

A grin split Cardin's face. "Well I took your advice and decided to show my dad some of the blueprints I had redrawn from memory. Things such as the Osprey, new guns, improved armors, hell I even thought up a few prototypes!" He stopped and laughed, shaking his head while doing so. "I swear my old man almost had a heart attack when I emailed him the things. He said that he knew I always had it in me and that I was finally doing justice to the Winchester name." His tone suddenly dropped and tears started to well up in his eyes. "You know, I've heard that so many times now in the last few weeks but it still hits me every time."

Yue got up to pat the big man on the back while Jaune looked on in understanding. Cardin and his father had never been close. It was known among the higher social circles that the older man often considered his son a failure and a disappointment to the family name._ (Something we both found ironic when we became friends,)_ he thought with a touch of amusement, a small smile gracing his face. But the smile quickly disappeared when he remembered what had happened to Cardin's father.

Being the owner of one of the largest arms manufacturers also meant being one of the most targeted individuals out there. In Cardin's 3rd year, his father had been killed on a routine inspection at one of his plants. The killer had been a White Fang member that posed as an employee and had gotten close to the man before stabbing him. When Cardin had found out, he had been devastated. It had brought back for a time his previous hatred for the Faunus and it had been hard to be around him. Somehow though, he had been able to pull himself together and get past the grief, as well as apologize to all the people he wronged in that short time. He always did regret though that he never would get the chance to prove himself to his father.

_(At least this time he was able to,)_ Jaune thought as he smiled at his friend.

"It's alright Yue, I'm fine." Wiping his face with the sleeve of his shirt, Cardin grinned again. "Anyway, he took the plans I gave him and actually built several of them." He seperated the pictures into two distinct groups and stepped back for a moment to let Yue and Jaune study them.

Jaune couldn't help but compare the appearance of one of the crafts to that of a manta ray. "Cardin? What exactly is that?" he asked as he pointed.

"That is the Goliath, a troop carrier I thought of. It's similar in size to the airships they use over at Atlas but much more powerful. It's propelled forward by four jet turbines and uses a dust fueled reactor to stay afloat when those are not in use. Capable of holding a full company of infantry and all their gear as well as having enough left over to haul along several vehicles. The armor is made from a special compound that my dad and I thought up. Apparently they tested a sheet of the stuff against a 105mm cannon and the damn thing barely scratched it."

Yue whistled. "Impressive. So it can take a hit. What about armament? I don't see any weapons on the hull or wings."

"Well that's because there aren't any." Cardin smiled as Yue looked at him in disbelief. "Now now. Here take a look at this." He dug through his backpack again to pull out another folder. Flipping through the contents he pulled out a thin document and handed it over to Yue. "Read through that if you want but I'll give you the short version. Remote controlled drones. A dozen of them specially made to defend the craft from any and all outside sources."

"These are something else Cardin." admired Yue as he turned through the pages. "I don't remember seeing these type of drones though before. Your own personal design?"

"Aye. Already trademarked by yours truly." He hit his chest with his fist and smiled.

Jaune chuckled before taking a closer look at the second set of aircraft pictures. _(This one is interesting. It looks large, but if these figures are any indication this thing is around the same length as a Bullhead, perhaps just a little longer.)_ He traced the picture of the ship with his finger. _(The back is certainly different. A dual twin tail isn't something seen much nowadays. The hull is also very angular and boxy. Doesn't seem to be very aerodynamic. Short stubby wings also. Although it does seem to have some decent sized engines. And it looks like it has a few thrusters dotted along its bottom and sides too.)_ "Hey Cardin. Mind explaining this one as well?"

"No problem bud!" Stepping over, Cardin picked up the picture with the most complete looking version and held it up before him, his eyes lighting up with delight. "This baby is The Centurion. It's a VTOL aircraft. Believe it or not but...well this is actually a present for you guys."

"I'm sorry?" Yue asked while his eyebrows scrunched in confusion. Jaune was similarly bewildered.

The man smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well it's like I just said. Listen, I never liked the Bullheads that they use to shuttle use around. They're too inefficient. Sure they're durable, but that's really their only strength. They lack so much in other areas. This is what I thought up to replace them." He tapped the picture with his forefinger and nodded in triumph. "And so far testing with the prototype has shown that this baby excels in every area. Speed. Power. Durability. Space. Comfort. All that and more!" The smile on his space stretched wide. "In fact these pictures are of the production slated models. The first three will be given over to our teams for "field testing". In fact they'll be here in a week." He winked at their shocked faces. "Nothing too good for my buds!"

* * *

><p>They had talked for a little longer before noticing the time. Deciding to finish their little meeting another day Jaune and Yue had bid farewell to Cardin, then went their own separate ways. Jaune hurried back to his dorm room while Yue went up to the roof.<p>

Yue sighed as he watched the snow come down. He had been coming up here more frequently, often spending hours just staring into the night sky. Something about it let him relax and think. Although he would never admit it to anyone, he was nervous. Jaune had said they accomplished much in their five months back at Beacon, but he wasn't so sure. Yes, their teams were in a state of readiness that far surpassed the levels they had previously, but something kept bugging him in the back of his mind. That there was something he needed to know and soon. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out what it was.

Blowing into his hands to keep them warm, he turned and gazed out across the school grounds while thinking on what Ruby had told him a few weeks back. He hadn't believed at first that Ozpin would've ever entrusted something of that magnitude to students, but he always had been an odd one._ (Observe Cinder hmm? A difficult job but doable. It will take some careful planning though. At least Ruby has finally started to come into her own when it comes to being a leader.)_

Suddenly a flash of red caught his eye near the infirmary. Unsure of what he had seen, it was quite dark out after all, he kept his eyes on the building and waited. There! This time he was sure something or rather someone was out there and he had a sneaking suspicion on who it was. His head shook in amusement and quickly jumped off the roof and slid down the wall, using his aura to slow his descent.

* * *

><p>"Yikes that stings!" hissed Yang as Blake and Weiss lowered her onto the infirmary bed, while Ruby ran back to their dorm room to get a change of clothes for her.<p>

They had just come back from a night on the town where Blake and Sun had, unfortunately, ran into Torchwick at a White Fang rally. The man had chased them through the streets of Vale in a Paladin and while they had beaten him, he still had escaped with the help of some pink and brown haired girl. It was only after the adrenaline from the encounter disappeared that they realized that Yang had a broken leg.

"I swear," Yang said with a grimace, "If I ever see that strawberry mocha chick again, I will show her why she shouldn't mess with me!" She lifted her arms to showcase her "guns" to prove her point.

"Who won't mess with who?"

The three girls turned around to find Yue looking in through the doorway with surprise. When he saw Yang on the bed, a makeshift splint on her leg, his face quickly turned to concern and he hurried over to her side. They remained silent while he checked her leg. _(Thank god, just a simple fracture. This should be an easy fix.)_ Taking out his Scroll, he dialed Jaune's number.

After a few rings, the man picked up. "Oh hey Yue! What's up?" In the background Yue could see the other members of JNPR looking over Jaune's shoulder.

"Just a small problem over at the infirmary. Could you hop on by and give me a hand?"

"Wha? Yea, sure. I'll be right over. Give me a few minutes."

"Thanks." Hanging up, Yue put his Scroll away and turned to the Yang, a question forming on his lips. "So wh-"

"It was Torchwick," interrupted Blake. Yue spun to look at her as she hurriedly explained. "Sun and I went to a White Fang rally to gather information and unfortunately he recognized us. Long story short. He escaped. Yang got a broken leg. And we learned Torchwick has access to military grade equipment."

"And Ruby?" he asked while digesting what Blake had just said.

Weiss spoke up then, "Ruby is simply getting a change of clothes for Yang and she should be bac-"

"I'm back!" Ruby tumbled into the room with a giant stack of clothing in her arms. "Here sis I didn't know what you would want to wear so I got a little of everything and oh I hope you don't mind and hi Yue."

"Hello Ruby."

"YUE!?" Her mind had finally caught up with her and she tossed the bundle of clothing up in the air in surprise. The clothes drifted down slowly while the sound of Weiss's and Blake's palms hitting their foreheads echoed loudly in the room.

"Hey what's u-" Jaune walked in at that time and found himself blinded by something soft. Tearing it off his face, he quickly blushed when he realized it was a pair of some very lacy, black panties. "Um." Closing his eyes, he held them out and waited.

Wordlessly, Blake stepped forward and grabbed them while Ruby rushed around picking up the other pieces on the ground. The Faunus girl was red in the face and swiftly hid the undergarment behind her.

"Right." Yue clapped his hands and tried to forget what had just occurred. "Jaune, you may open your eyes now. I needed your help over here with Yang." As the blond man walked over, he stepped back to give him room to work.

Cracking his knuckles, Jaune started to draw on his aura and smiled at Yang. "Just sit tight and I'll have you healed up in a snap." he assured her.

"Alright Blondie, just don't touch anywhere else kay?" she smiled sweetly while her eyes briefly turned red.

"Wouldn't think of it." Focusing his aura into his hands, Jaune sought out the break in her leg. Once he found it, he activated his semblance and sent concentrated bursts of aura into the bone. He felt the cells start to build new cartilage and bone tissue, layer upon layer, with each small burst. Slowly increasing the amount, he coaxed the cells further, accelerating the process of bone hardening and maturing. After a few more minutes, he leaned back in satisfaction. "There! All done. Get up and see how it feels."

The girls of RWBY were speechless. As Yang got up and stood, Ruby ran over and hugged her while Weiss and Blake looked at Jaune with newfound respect.

"Damn," whispered Yang, her voice in awe of her mended leg, "Didn't know you had it in you." She grinned and tapped Jaune in the chest with her fist. "I owe ya one alright?"

"I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

><p><strong>Beacon Academy Dorms<strong>

**February 6th, 2116 : Morning**

"Guys!" yelled Ruby as she sprinted out of her room. "We're going to be late for class!"

Hurrying behind her was the rest of her team, in various states of dress, as they ran down the hallway. Their alarm clock hadn't gone off at the proper time and because of that they all had slept in. As they ran, they saw team JNPR and CDRL in a similar state. As they shouted greetings at one another, they passed by Headmaster Ozpin and Prof Glynda.

"Really," huffed Glynda, "They should know better than to be late for the first class of the new semester."

Ozpin remained silent and took a sip from his coffee cup, marveling at the rich taste. He really needed to thank Mr. Yue for providing him with a new supplier.

* * *

><p>"Remember! The Grimm are merciless! Ever since mankind has walked upon Remnant, they have fought against us, time and time again!" Clint faced the students seated before him in the large auditorium he had been given. His words were full of passion while his eyes danced with fire. "But every time, mankind was able to push back the threat and learn from it! New and better ways to combat the menace!" He paused, a shadow passing over his face, before continuing in a more somber tone. "But such things often come with great sacrifice. And there are times where nothing is learned. Times where only more questions rise."<p>

The students could tell something was warring within their new professor's mind. His jaw had clenched shut after his last words and some of them could make out sweat droplets forming on his forehead. They waited patiently for him, knowing that the man had demons from his previous work with the military. They all had been told of how he had lost his entire team on a mission out to the fringes of Vale and how he was here to try and recover. Most of them could only imagine the pain he was feeling.

_(But we know,)_ frowned Jaune while looking at the former soldier. Yue and Cardin were seated near him and he could see similar expressions on their faces. They saw a brother who had yet accepted the reality of his situation. A comrade that was still fighting a desperate battle. Even though the professor was their elder in this time, he was their junior when it came to loss. Sighing, Jaune wondered if he should help the man.

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><p>"I'm not sure why Ozpin let such a man come to teach here," grumbled Weiss. "I mean he barely spoke after that little speech of his and just put on documentaries for the rest of the class." Ruby and her were seated on a bench just outside the library.<p>

"You know why Weiss," said Ruby as she scolded her teammate, "He lost some of the closest people close to him just a little while ago. Wouldn't you be devastated if we all just died?" She let out a gasp when the girl suddenly grabbed her shoulders.

"Don't ever say something like that Ruby." commanded Weiss, her eyes sharp.

"Weiss it was only an exam-" Ruby tried to explain, but was cut off as Weiss pulled her into a hug.

"Fine. It was an example. Just never mention it again."

Ruby had her mouth open in surprise. She could feel Weiss's body as it shook against her and winced, "I'm sorry Weiss." Taking her arms, she wrapped them around the Weiss and returned the girl's hug.

* * *

><p>Knocking on the door, Jaune waited, Yue standing behind him.<p>

After a moment Professor Clint called out, "It's unlocked. Come in." As they both walked in, they saw the professor compare their faces to a roster he had out in front of him. "Ah Mr. Arc. Mr. Yue. What can I do for you?"

Jaune looked at the professor and stared. He could tell that even now a battle raged within the man. "We're here to help," he said. Seeing the confusion in the man's eyes he continued, "I will be blunt. You're a disgrace to your former unit." He saw the professor's face turn purple at the remark and quickly signaled Yue.

Yue threw down a file on the professor's desk, purposely doing it with enough force to spill its contents. "Lieutenant Clint Eastwood. CO of Ghost Platoon of the 2nd Recon Company. Known for efficiency and courage under fire. Honorably discharged for so called mental instability resulting from actions performed in the disastrous mission with Phantom Squad in the town of Winston. Apparently you kept talking about some new Grimm that you encountered in that town. The Chief Medical Officer put in words such as disillusioned and confused. Did I miss anything?"

"Of course you did!" Clint shouted. "Those bastards refuse to see the truth! I saw something in that town that could change the very face of our battle against the Grimm. It took out a highly trained spec ops team like they were nothing. Hell, the only reason I even lived was because my last squad mate blew himself and the very building we were in up! Yet they refuse to see that! All they can see is some shell shocked loony!" He gasped for breath while his eyes widened in realization at what he had just heard and said. "Wait. Ho-"

"It doesn't matter how," Jaune interrupted, "What matters is what you know and what you will do from here on out. Do you think your former unit would like to see you like this? You say that your commanders think you're crazy. Are you?" His voice was hard, slipping into the command voice he had mastered over the years.

"N-no," Clint stammered. He visibly composed himself and drew himself upright, his eyes confident. "No, I'm not."

"Now what is it that you want to do?"

Clint was silent, his mouth pressed tightly. He looked at the two young men in front of him and back to the file on his desk. "I'm sorry," he finally said, "But I don't think that is something I can discuss with students. I'll keep this file here, lord knows how you got it. Just be glad I don't report this to the Headmaster." He narrowed his eyes a little when he saw them both smile.

"Of course Professor, sorry to bother you. Yue, come on. Let's go." Turning, Jaune walked out and held the door open for Yue before closing it behind him.

As the moved down the corridor, Yue snapped his fingers. "Well I believe we accomplished what we came here to do."

"Indeed." The former soldier had been standing taller when they had left.

* * *

><p>A row of panels dotted the wall in the dimly lit room. Several masked men were seated, manning stations in front of each panel. One suddenly raised his hand.<p>

"Mistress. Subject 14A has deceased." The masked man flinched and went stiff when he felt a hand descend on his shoulder.

"Really now?" came the seductive voice, "Then be a dear and send a team to fetch what's left, ok?" The owner of the voice smiled, her eyes burning, as she looked down at the man.

"Of course Mistress. It shall be done." he replied, his voice cracking ever so slightly.

"Good boy." Releasing her hold on the man's shoulder, she turned and made for the exit of the room but stopped before leaving. Her red dress shimmering despite the low level of light. "I expect all of you to do your jobs properly when I am gone. Won't want something bad happening now, would we?"

Her question sent shivers down each man's back as their bodies shook in fear. "No Mistress," they chorused.

The woman smiled again. "Good."

* * *

><p>"That is my report Headmaster." The voice on the line cut off as soon as the last words were uttered.<p>

Ozpin tapped his fingers on his desk as he thought. Things were starting to finally fall in place, but in a few areas the situation was still uncertain. "Especially this town," he said out loud while looking at his main monitor which displayed a small map of northern Vale. The Grimm activity levels had been on the rise in the mountains just due north of it and requests for aid were now coming in more frequently. It wasn't a mission he wanted to trust to anyone, but unfortunately every experienced hunter/huntress team he had was already deployed.

Grabbing his cup, he took a long sip before setting it back down. He didn't like it, but he needed to send someone and soon. He tapped his keyboard and bought up a few team profiles. He studied them silently for a few moments before making his choice. The teams he chose already had been tasked with something else by him, but the town and the lives of those that lived in it took priority.

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><p><strong>Well. That's Upload 10.<strong>

**Nothing to really say except that Jaune and the gang will soon be getting their own private airships! Now who wouldn't like that? I sure as hell would like one!**

**Also still looking for Grimm names. Got a few already and thought up of a couple others, but more couldn't hurt!**

**Things are starting to pick up a little story wise. About time right? xD**

**As always. Enjoy! Oh and follow, favorite, review, etc if you can!**

**- Commissar Adrian of the Mordian Iron Guard**


	12. Chapter 7 - Three Sisters

**RWBY is the property of Monty Oum and Roosterteeth. Standard copyright mumbo jumbo.**

**Also small changes made in the previous chapter. Rather than make you re-read the entire dang thing I'll just tell you the changes here. The airship, The Marauder, and its galleon type design was thrown out. Replacing it is now a VTOL aircraft called the Centurion. **

**Edit : Weird, the upload deleted itself. Was there one hour, gone the next. O_o**

**Well hope this time it stays . _.;**

**Revision 1 : Jan 2015**

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><p><strong>Beacon Academy Airship Docks<strong>

**February 9th, 2116 : Morning**

Three dark grey aircraft slowly descended, their thrusters firing at intervals to make slight course adjustments as they made their way to the landing pads. Their landing struts extended and thumped as they made contact with the tarmac, the impact causing snow to billow up around them. As their engines slowly powered down, the hatches of each one opened and several crew members hustled off to refuel. The Centurions had landed at Beacon.

* * *

><p>"Well what do you guys think?" asked Cardin as he grinned. He had brought team RWBY out to his creations and wanted to know what they thought. Unfortunately team JNPR and the rest of his team were still in class, but they had said they would come over as soon as they were done.<p>

"These are so cool." Ruby said in awe while running her hands along the hull of one of the ships. Her eyes were dancing and she nervously took a glance over to the open hatch that lead inside.

Cardin could see how much she wanted to go in and chuckled, "It's alright Ruby. Remember one of these belong to you and your team."

The young girl shrieked in excitement and rushed in, red petals appearing behind her. Her sister, who had been admiring the ship's large vulcan, heard him as well and gave out a loud cheer before grinning and following Ruby.

Meanwhile Blake and Yue, who were deeply engrossed in a manual, didn't seem to have heard him. As he made his way over to the pair, he stopped when Weiss moved in front of him.

"Cardin," she began, her eyes serious, "What you just said to Ruby. About one of these being ours. Is that true?" She frowned and gestured at the craft her partner had just disappeared into. "Those things don't seem cheap."

He pat her shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry about it Weiss. Even though I don't hang out with you guys often, I consider you my friends. And my friends deserve the best." Releasing her, he winked and moved off.

Weiss furrowed her brow. She didn't feel right accepting such a large gift without giving something back. Watching Cardin engage in conversation with Blake and Yue, she had an idea. If she remembered correctly, Yue had told her that Cardin preferred to use a certain type of dust when he fought. The only problem was how hard it was to obtain via normal means. She smirked, _(But I'm not exactly normal.)_ Taking out her Scroll, she quickly went to work.

* * *

><p>"Hey Cardin! Sorry we're late~" Nora called out as she ran ahead of her team. "Prof Port got wayyy too deep into one of his stories!"<p>

Cardin looked up from where he was conversing with one of the crew members who had flown in with the Centurions. Excusing himself from the man, he walked over and waved. "No worries Nora. You're here aren't ya?"

"Yep!" Skidding to a halt, she turned and shouted, "Come on guys! Hurry up!"

* * *

><p>Leaving Ren and Nora outside to converse with team RWBY, Jaune and Pyrrha followed the man inside their Centurion. "Damn Cardin," whispered Jaune as he looked at the interior of the aircraft, "This is something else." The inside was larger than he could've imagined. He examined the walls, which were oddly thick, and his eyes widened in surprise when he realized there were compartments sunken into them. "Cardin, you already know what I'm going to ask so just get to it."<p>

The large man laughed and tapped the console he had been leaning on. A keyboard popped out. "Fine, fine. You're get a kick outa this I'm sure." As he typed, he continued speaking, "You see by making the walls as I did, I was able to add several useful implements such as this," a bed unfolded itself from within one of the compartments and settled on the floor. "Or this." The bed folded itself back up and another compartment opened up to reveal a fully stocked first aid cabinet.

He stepped away from the console and tapped along the length of the interior. "Each compartment here has something I deemed useful for use in the field. Remember how I said I didn't like Bullheads? The reason is because they can only serve as dropships. But not this ship, this ship can serve as a small mobile base. Hell it even has a small bathroom!"

Jaune was impressed by how much thought his friend had put into this. His mind could already see the uses this vehicle could've played back in their own time. But as he looked around again he realized that there was no cockpit. "Cardin, I have a feeling I'm in for another surprise but...where are the controls to fly this thing?"

Cardin grinned. "Oh you'll like this. Here." Walking back to the console, he pressed another button and a ladder came down in the middle of the ship from a hatch that had appeared. "Follow me." Climbing up the ladder quickly, he disappeared through the gap.

Jaune and Pyrrha looked at each other in bewilderment and shook their heads. It was like watching a kid with a new toy.

Cardin poked his head through the gap and shouted down at them. "Hey you guys coming or what?"

"Coming Cardin," Jaune laughed. He turned to his partner. "Well ladies first."

"Jaune." Pyrrha's face reddened while she pointed down at her skirt. Although it was longer than her fall one, it still quite short overall.

Blushing, Jaune mentally smacked himself. "Right, sorry bout that. I'll go first." Spinning around quickly, he hustled up the ladder. As his head passed through the hatch, he whistled before pulling himself up. Turning, he helped Pyrrha as she came up.

Their heads on a swivel, they examined the small bridge they had emerged into. Several monitors and panels were fixed to the walls all around them. Four chairs were botted into the floor behind them. A large terminal lay in front of them before a wide windshield. Cardin was seated in a seat that extended out from from the terminal and next to him were several more instruments.

He spun around when he heard them step closer. "And this Jaune is how you fly this thing." He chuckled when he saw them run their eyes over the various buttons and switches nervously. "Don't worry, it's not as hard as it looks. Besides most of the flying will be done by her." Pointing past them, he indicated a small pedestal that they had missed.

A small female figure wielding a sword popped up as they looked. It wore black armor over a white cloak lined with red. It bowed before smiling. "Greetings Knight Arc. Spartan Nikos. I am Alicia Dominica. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Speechless, Jaune and Pyrrha stared at Cardin.

"Meet your pilot," he smiled, "My father refers to it as an A.I. Artificial Intelligence."

* * *

><p>Jaune made his way over to the bar and fixed himself a drink. Downing it, he made another one while thinking about what Cardin had told him. Artificial Intelligence. It was something that shocked him to his very core. The thought of a computer program that is able to think for itself was both awe inspiring and chilling. Shaking his head, he made his way back to the couch and sat down.<p>

As he did so, he glanced over at Yue as the man lay seated in front of the main holo screen in the room. He was conversing with apparently his own ship's A.I. The fact that each of the Centurions had one was still something Jaune's mind still couldn't wrap itself around. Sipping from his glass, he wondered if Yue had anything stronger. He felt like he needed it.

* * *

><p>"That is correct Master Yue," replied the A.I. as she adjusted her white cloak that lay under her silver armor. "I am fully capable of controlling several ships at the same time. Although my processes will slow with each one I do take over."<p>

Yue sat back and clasped his hands together as he thought. The existence of these programs had at first surprised him, but he had listened intently when Cardin had explained the benefits. The ability to monitor cameras, hack servers, access automated defense systems, the list went on and on. It almost gave him a headache when he tried thinking of the all the possibilities.

"Silvana. Just one more question. How many other A.I. are out there?"

The A.I. paused before answering. "I currently only have three sisters. Alicia Dominica who has been tasked to serve Master Arc. Arabella who was entrusted to Master Winchester. And Katherine who is currently still with my creator back at Winchester Armament. As of this moment, no other units are slated for production."

"I see. Thank you Silvana." He covered his mouth with one of his hands as he yawned. "I'm going to heading off to bed soon. Mind if I ask you to look after my teammates till they return?"

Silvana bowed her head, "Already doing so Master Yue."

* * *

><p>Yang was busy testing out her new mods on Ember Celica against the training bots in the arena when her Scroll beeped. Stopping to wave her hand at Ruby to turn off the training bots, she pulled the Scroll out from her shirt and flipped it open. "Whoa!"<p>

Silvana bowed as her projection rose from the device. "Good evening Mistress Yang. How are you on this fine night?"

Recovering from her shock, Yang grinned, "Oh hey! You're um that A.I. thingyabob aren't ya? Silvana?" Taking a second to crack her back, Yang then jerked her thumb at the bots that stood still off to the side. "Just getting some last minute training in before turning in for the night. Gotta stay sharp ya know?"

"Of course Mistress Yang." The A.I. stood still for a second before cocking her head. "Pardon me Mistress, but these programs that the bots use seem to be very inefficient. Are you indeed getting a workout from facing them?"

Yang frowned, "Really? Well I guess that's the reason I don't find them a challenge anymore, even at the highest settings." She shrugged. "But what can ya do? I don't have the know how to change it."

"Ah, but Mistress. I do." Smiling, Silvana flashed several times before nodding. "There you go Mistress. I uploaded a personal program designed around your current fighting style. I hope you find it satisfactory."

"Seriously? Nice. You know, you're alright."

Silvana bowed once more. "Of course Mistress, I aim to please."

"Just one thing."

"Yes Mistress?"

"Call me Yang. I don't feel comfortable with that whole Mistress talk. Maybe Ice Princess would like it, but I find it stifling."

"Of course Mis-...Yang."

"See isn't that better?" Smiling, Yang waved over to Ruby. "Alright Rubes, let's see what this new program can do!"

As she bounded forward, Yang wondered what else Silvana could help her with.

* * *

><p>"Sir Bronzewing, your current answer to that question is incorrect. It should actually be..."<p>

Dove nodded his head when he saw where he had made his mistake and corrected the problem he was working on. He grinned at the A.I. who stood projected next to him. "Thanks Arabella!"

"Of course Sir Bronzewing." The A.I.'s eyes flashed before she disappeared and appeared in front of Sky. "I'm sorry Sir Lark, I didn't know you had trouble with intermediary medicine. Please allow me to assist you."

"What? Oh no, please don't worry about it Arabella," he whispered, "I need to learn this myself. After all it is what I chose to focus on. Thank you for the offer though."

"I see," she replied, her face twisted in disappointment. "I apologize for bothering you Sir Lark."

"Hey Arabella! If he doesn't need your help I do!" Russel shouted from across the room where he sat sharpening his daggers.

The A.I. quickly brightened and once again disappeared to then re-emerge on Russel's shoulder. "What is it that you require?"

"Oh, just wanted to ask you if you could teach me the basics of flying The Centurion. Just in case you know?"

"Of course Sir Thrush, I will be glad to assist you."

As all this was going on, Cardin lay in his bed watching. The A.I. was working better than he had expected. Looking up to the projector in the ceiling, he gave himself a self congratulatory pat on the back for installing it. It allowed the A.I. to easily transfer herself around the room and in any size she desired. Yawning, Cardin looked at the time and marveled at how early it still was. _(Must be tired from all that happened today,)_ he thought before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

><p>"Mannnnnnnn. These pancakes are to die for!" grinned Nora as she eagerly ripped into another batch of the warm, fluffy delights while Ren looked on with wonder. The girl was already into her fourth stack.<p>

_(I don't think I'll ever know where she puts it all,)_ he mused before turning his gaze to the A.I. standing in front of them, her body being displayed by the kitchen's main monitor. "Alicia," he began, "Where did you find these recipes? I consider myself well versed in cooking and yet I never even heard of this type of pancake."

Smiling kindly, Alicia waved her hand and brought up map on his Scroll. "Do not worry Soldier Ren. These recipes are from a clan called iHop. It is a small group, one that guards its secrets jealously. As such it is expected that you have never heard of them."

Ren cocked an eyebrow. "So how did you get ahold of them?"

Alicia smirked. "It was child's play to bypass their security systems. And I did so because Viking Nora here wished for the best pancakes I could assist you with."

Nora paused mid-bite to grin, "Man, you're awesome Domi!"

"Thank you Viking Nora. I am glad you like them so."

* * *

><p>"Mistress Belladonna, it is getting quite chilly. Perhaps you should retire for the night?" asked Silvana as her avatar stood next to Blake.<p>

The Faunus girl shook her head, her arms leaning against the railing, as she looked out over the pond that sat in the middle of Beacon. "It's alright. The cold doesn't bother me much anyway." Her breath misted in front of her as she talked.

"Of course Mistress." The A.I. remained silent as the minutes creep by.

"Silvana."

"Yes Mistress?"

"I was wondering, but do you know if Yue has anyone he likes?" She immediately regretted her question, but knew she couldn't take it back.

"Master Yue?" The A.I. frowned and turned to her. "I must admit confusion Mistress. What is the reason for such a question?"

"Don't worry about it. It was just a slip of the tongue." Burying her face in her scarf, Blake sighed. She didn't even know why she had asked it to begin with.

"Do you still wish for me to answer Mistress?"

Blake sighed again. "You don't need to. I doubt you know anyway."

"But I do Mistress. Master Yue is quite enamored with you."

"What?!" Blake's mouth dropped open.

The A.I. nodded and waved one of her hands. A virtual journal appeared in her hands. "In fact here is his journal. I have selected every piece that appears to refer to you. Do you wish to see it Mistress?"

Although almost every fiber of her being told her it was wrong, part of her wanted to see what was in it. In fact until that moment, she hadn't even know that he kept a journal. She wondered where he even found the time to write in it, he was busy most of the time with one thing or another. Hesitantly, she nodded.

::

_Entry Log 1,_

_I can't believe we're back. It almost seems like a dream. In fact I still think I will wake up any second. To see them all again, it is almost painful. But Jaune is right, we will make sure nothing happens to them again. Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Blake, all of them and the others._

::

"See them again? Painful? And he mentions me? Silvana, what do you know about this?"

"Nothing Mistress, I merely selected the logs using a search function."

"Hmmm."

::

_Entry Log 2,_

_Well the first few parts of my plan have finally born fruit. And so soon as well! I hope Blake can forgive me for leading her on like that. It was necessary._

::

_Entry Log 12,_

_The lesson with Blake well today. She is a quick learner and is already on her way to master the art of dust purification. Only a few steps and she will be ready for the next level. _

_On a slightly related note, Weiss approached me this evening. Apparently she wanted to know where Blake and I disappear to every Saturday morning. I told her about the lessons, but she didn't seem to believe me. She claimed that inter team relationships were not proper. It amuses me to see her jump to such conclusions._

::

_Entry Log 18,_

_I talked it over with Jaune and he seemed to want to teach our forging techniques to everyone in our teams. While I don't disagree, I wonder if it is too soon. Nonetheless, at least Blake would be able to help me with such matters. She's already far surpassed my expectations._

_That said, I wonder if she notices how she pouts every time she messes up. It is quite endearing._

::

"Silvana."

"Yes Mistress?"

"The next time I'm at the forge I want you to video-tape me."

"Understood Mistress."

::

_Entry Log 25,_

_Curse this heart of mine. Why must it try and ruin me so? This world is not the same as the one previous and yet somehow once again I'm starting to become attracted to Blake. It is as if my past feelings are forcing me towards her. Perhaps I shall skip today's lesson. The constant contact with her in such close quarters might be one reason why I am feeling as such._

::

"So that's why he skipped that week's lesson. I wondered how he got sick so quickly. Yet what is this other world he speaks of?"

"I am unsure Mistress. It does not match any records I have access to."

Blake read through a few more logs while thinking. (So those stares I felt when I was with him weren't just a figment of my imagination. Interesting.) For some reason her heart started to pound a little harder.

::

_Entry Log 51,_

_Tonight while I went to the roof to escape the noise of the Dustmas party Ruby and Yang had put together, I encountered Blake. At first I didn't even notice her. I had believed I was alone and was about to say something damning when she made her presence known. Thank god she cleared her throat when she did. _

_Still it had shocked me when she had asked me to stay when I tried to leave. Why did she do so? She gave a reason for it, but some part of me read it as something else. Perhaps I'm reading too deeply into this. I mean I must be!_

::

_Entry Log 56,_

_Damnation. It seems that despite my best efforts, I have failed. I have truly fallen for her once again. Her gentle smile. Her soft voice. Her lovely laugh. All that and more. It torments me so. Just like before, I will now have to live with this torture. There is no way she feels the same way for me. _

_But that is alright. So long as she is safe, I will endure. Unlike the previous world I will make sure to protect her this time. _

::

Blake closed her eyes and thanked Silvana. Her mind was trying to understand what she had just read. While she was flattered that Yue liked her, she wasn't quite sure about her own feelings toward him. She considered him an important person in her life now, of that there was no doubt, but did she like him as he did her? She felt her heart beating rapidly and knew she had a flush on her cheeks. But that didn't mean necessarily that she liked him.

Then there was this other world Yue spoke off. What exactly did he mean by that? And apparently Jaune was connected to it? She thought about how often Jaune and Yue met, Cardin as well. She shook her head in annoyance. She needed to confront Yue about both matters.

"Silvana. Can you make a copy of all the entries we read and forward it to my Scroll?"

The A.I. nodded and blinked. "Done Mistress."

"Good."

* * *

><p><strong>Ozpin's Office<strong>

**February 10th, 2016 : Early Morning**

Ozin sipped from his cup as he looked at the three teams gathered in front of him in the main hall. He had roused them all early, to give them more time to ready themselves.

"Now I'm sure you're wondering why I've gathered you all here this early in the morning. As you already know, I had assigned you the task of looking after a few particular individuals. I'm sorry to say that such a task will be postponed." He waited for the protests or complaints, but they never came. All thirteen individuals looked at him steadily, waiting for him to continue.

Impressed, Ozpin pressed a button on the wall behind him and a map crackled to life on the hall's main monitor. "Instead you all will be going to this town called Soldier's Peak. Grimm activity in the area has steadily risen over the last few weeks, to the point where the local militia are starting to feel strained. Your task will be to go and sterilize the area as best you can. Destroy any and all Grimm you find."

"Now you won't be alone. You will also be joined by one of our teaching staff." Pausing, Ozpin waited as the door near him opened and Professor Clint walked out. "Together I believe you will be able to finish this mission. But do be careful, the creatures of Grimm are more cunning than most of us realize."

He stopped again, waiting to see if anyone of them would raise their voice. When none of them did so, he smiled.

"Dismissed. And good hunting."

* * *

><p>The docks exploded in noise as the three Centurions roared to life. Their engines rumbling, it sounded like freight trains were moving through the area. Each team were in their respective aircraft, marked by their symbols that were painted on the sides. Their A.I.s were going through final pre-flight checks.<p>

Professor Clint observed from the cockpit of a Bullhead he had requisitioned as it circled the area above them.

"This is Alicia. Centurion 1 ready for takeoff."

"Silvana here. Centurion 2 is primed for launch."

"Arabella acknowledges. Everything checks out on Centurion 3 "

Cardin laughed from the seat in his ship's bridge. "Alright boys and girls! Let's get the show on the road!" he grinned as he spoke into his mic. "Centurion Flight, this is Cardinal Lead. Launch!"

The three aircraft rose, the noise from their engines quickly rising in pitch as they rapidly pulled away from the docks. Turning in place, each craft rotated their wings and roared off, their afterburners kicking in soon after. The Bullhead labored to keep up.

* * *

><p><strong>Haha! Chapter 11! <strong>

**Mikisanji : I like your Grimm ideas. Totally gonna use at least one of them. Not sure which one just yet, but look forward to it!**

**Also can any of you guess where I got the names of the A.I. from? Pretty sure a few of you out there will know!**

**As always. Enjoy! Oh and follow, favorite, review, etc if you can!**

**- Commissar Adrian of the Mordian Iron Guard**


	13. Chapter 8 - Stirrings - Part 1

**RWBY is the property of Monty Oum and Roosterteeth. Standard copyright mumbo jumbo.**

**Whoa, 100+ followers! You guys make a grown man cry. Thank you for your show of support. ( ; -;)**

**Anyway Upload 12. I had to rewrite this one a few times to make sure it got down what I really wanted. I hope you guys like it! I sure as hell did!**

**Revision 1 : Jan 2015**

* * *

><p>The town of Soldier's Peak got its name from the mountain range that surrounded it. It was a modest town that boasted its own airport and dust mine. Although in recent years the yields from the mine had been steadily decreasing and talks were in progress that suggested in closing it down. Still until such a time happened the mine still warranted protection. Normally the local militia were easily able to handle any type of attack, but this winter the Grimm had mysteriously surged forward. Faced with the possibility that the mine could be overrun, the town had sent several requests for aid to Beacon.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Centurions On-route to Soldier's Peak<strong>

**February 11th, 2116 : Morning**

"We are nearing Soldier's Peak."

The statement jolted Jaune awake. As he sat up in the chair he had decided to take a nap on, he yawned and stretched out the kinks in his neck. "Thank you Alicia," he said while looking to where her hologram stood on her pedestal. "How much longer?"

She dipped her head in acknowledgement and replied, "Approximately fifteen minutes at our current speed."

"Good. I'm going to go wake others and get ready. Tell me if anything happens." Getting up, he walked over to the ladder leading to the lower level and started to descend when he heard her respond.

"Of course Knight Arc."

Shaking his head in amusement, he looked at the A.I. "Remember what I said Alicia. No fancy titles. Just call me Jaune. The same goes for everyone else. Alright?" Not waiting for an answer, he let go of the rung in his hands and slide down. With a light thump his feet hit the floor. Turning around, he saw Pyrrha already putting on her combat gear while Nora and Ren still lay asleep in their beds.

"Morning Jaune," Pyrrha greeted, a bright smile on her face. She pulled her hair back and slid on her golden headpiece before getting up, pressing a button to fold up the bed while doing so. "It's about time to contact the others isn't it?"

"Yea. Just about." Suddenly an idea came to him and he grinned mischievously. Walking over to her, he grabbed her face with his hands and gave her a light kiss. "By the way, you look stunning as always."

Pyrrha's cheeks quickly colored. "Flatterer," she murmured before grabbing his collar and bringing him in for a deeper kiss.

Jaune reveled in her taste and sunk into the moment until he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. Breaking the contact, to his disappointment, he turned his head. Nora stood behind him. Her face was uncomfortably close to his and her eyes were narrowed.

"Jaune." she growled.

"Y-yes Nora?" he stammered. He didn't like the look in her eyes and he remembered the last time he had seen her stare at someone like that. The poor guy couldn't walk without a crutch for weeks. He felt his palms start to sweat and heard Pyrrha shuffle away from him.

Nora continued to stare at him for a few tense seconds and then beamed. "Silly Jaune!" she laughed as she slapped his back, "That's not a good morning kiss! THIS is a good morning kiss!" Turning, she ran to the still snoring Ren and jumped on top of him. As the poor man was shaken awake, Nora proceeded to give him the sloppiest and nosiest kiss Jaune and Pyrrha had ever seen or heard.

"Argh! Nora! Stop!" the man managed to cry out before being smothered.

Jaune and Pyrrha looked at each other, their mouths agape, then started to laugh.

"Oh man," Jaune gasped as he wiped a tear coming from his eye, "Promise me you'll never do that to me Pyrrha." Not hearing a response, he looked at his partner curiously. His face paled when he saw a look of hunger in her eyes. "Um Pyrrha," he laughed nervously while backing up, "C'mon, we still need to call the others. Don't do anything you might regret."

"Oh, I won't regret anything Jaune," she whispered seductively before pouncing.

None of them noticed when one of the screens on the wall turned on.

* * *

><p>Yue and Yang watched in shock as their friends "fought" with one another.<p>

"Well, I guess that answers the question of whether or not they're awake," Yue remarked dryly.

"I'll say," Yang agreed, "Although they look to be having fun." She watched as Pyrrha managed to pin Jaune down and cheered for the girl. She almost groaned from disappointment when Yue turned the screen off. "Hey I was watching that!"

Yue shook his head. "Sorry, but I don't need to see what happens next. We already know how Pyrrha can get when she sees something she wants."

A shrug came in reply. "True. Guess we should let them have their privacy huh?"

"Indeed. Now let's wake the others and hope team JNPR are done with their "activities" by the time we contact them again."

* * *

><p>The three Centurions and Bullhead hovered in place a half mile away from the airport by Yue's request. As the man scanned the area with a pair of binoculars he felt another shiver go over the back of his hands. Something was unsettling him and he had learned to trust his body's senses years back. He turned to the pedestal behind him. "Silvana," he ordered, "Do an entire sweep of the area. I want every building out there scanned. Use every setting you have."<p>

"Yes, Master Yue." the A.I. replied as her eyes started to flash rapidly.

Knowing it would take her some time to do what he requested, he refocused back on the airport. He looked through the main tower's windows. Even from where he was, he could make out several figures moving around inside. He sighed, wondering what he was supposed to find. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary. After more several minutes of fruitless searching he was about to give up when he caught something from the edge of his vision. Adjusting the magnification, his eyes widened in disbelief and he lowered his binoculars. He had to make sure. "Hey Yang. Can you tell me what you see by that open hangar door? Second from the right."

Yang, who was standing next to him, nodded and focused her own pair of binoculars at the location he had asked of her. She quickly stiffened. "No, that can't be!" she murmured with shock.

"It is." Yue spat out, his disbelief being replaced by anger and disgust. He had almost missed the thing in the snow. "That's a Weaver. And where there's one, there's usually at least a few dozen more."

At that moment Silvana's eyes stopped flashing. "Sir, I just completed my scan. Sensors detected multiple Grimm signatures. There are also burrowing sounds coming from beneath the airport. Hypothesis. There is a moderate Grimm presence in the area. As for human or Faunus signatures, I could not detect any."

Ruby, who had been checking her magazine clips, shook her head in confusion. "Wait, what? But Headmaster Ozpin just gave us this mission yesterday. He should've known if something like this was going on, wouldn't he?"

"Not quite Ruby," answered Blake, glancing up from her book, "Even though the town is relatively up to date infrastructure wise, their communications are still spotty at best. Messages sometimes take days, even weeks to get to Beacon or other hunter academies. So information is usually outdated by the time the Headmaster even gets it."

"Oh, I see," replied Ruby, her head scrunched up in thought, "But what are Weavers?"

"You need to stop sleeping in Professor Port's class so much Ruby. He explained what Weavers were a few classes ago." chided Weiss as her head popped up from below. Pulling herself up, she walked over to the windshield and took Yang's binoculars. "Weavers," she began while looking at the specimen Yue had spotted, "Are a sub-class from the Arachnid family called the Araneae. They are much smaller and less armored than the more well-known Death Stalkers from the Scorpiones class and that has led people to underestimate them. That is the problem though. What they lack in power, they more than make up in intelligence and flexibility." She turned to Silvana. "Could you please bring up a display of one?"

"Of course Mistress Schnee." Waving her hands, she projected a Weaver body in front of them. The Grimm came up to their chins and was almost four feet wide.

"Thank you. Now the model you see in front of you is that of a juvenile Weaver. It is similar in size to the one outside that I just saw. The adult ones are of course much larger." Grabbing a laser pointer that lay nearby, Weiss directed the light to the Weaver's abdomen and fangs. "Now using a strange, sticky material that it produces within itself, it ensnares its prey through webs and other types of traps. Then using its fangs, it injects a venom that then paralyzes the victim and causes the body to slowly shut down. The horrifying part is how the prey is still alive at this point, it usually takes several hours before the venom completes its job. That means that whatever it catches is usually still conscious when it starts to feed."

A visible shudder went throughout the group, the exception being Yue who had seen Weavers in action before. "But that's not even the worst part." She turned around and focused her sight on the tower windows. "You see those figures down there? According to Silvana there is no human presence here. So how are those bodies moving around?" She shook her head in disgust. "I'll bet you there's a Weaver down there using those dead bodies as puppets. The clever fiends can mimic the motions of anything they kill, to make it appear like the dead are alive. Several instances of that occurring have been documented. Never thought I'll see it with my own eyes."

A few seconds passed in silence until Ruby spoke up. "Could there be a chance that someone is still alive over there?"

"Perhaps," muttered Yue as he leaned his arm against the window. "I read once that Weavers have been known to keep prey alive for extended periods of time to feed on later. In order to do this they only inject a minor amount of venom into the body. Which means it is very possible that we could find some survivors." He winced, "Although I can't say what condition they might be in."

Ruby shook her head. "That doesn't matter. If there is even a sliver of a chance of some people being alive, we need to find them and save them." She looked at him, her eyes resolute, "We're going over there."

Yue nodded thoughtfully while looking over at his other teammates. They all wore the same expression. "Unfortunately Ruby," he finally sighed, "While you are the leader here, we're just one part of a whole in this mission. We need to tell the others what we've found out." Before she could reply however, he added hastily, "But don't worry. If I know Jaune and Cardin, they'll feel as strongly as you do."

* * *

><p>"Fuck." hissed Cardin as he looked around trying to find something to punch. Finding none, he dropped his arms and let out a scream of fury.<p>

No one else said anything as their minds tried digesting the information team RWBY had just given them. Each team was gathered in front of a large screen on their ship's bridge, while Professor Clint looked in from his Scroll.

"There's no easy way to say this," Yue concluded, his face appearing twisted on the screen, "But we need to find out what's going on."

Jaune sighed and spoke up. "I'm of the same mind. While it's true we don't know what we might find, our mission still hasn't changed. We are to exterminate any and all Grimm that we find. We're just getting started sooner than we imagined. That's all."

"Agreed," Cardin growled, his eyes burning. He pounded his breastplate with one of his fists and smiled predatory. He couldn't wait to ram his fist down their throats, or whatever spiders had. His teammates all inclined their heads in agreement, although Sky appeared a bit pale. He smiled encouragingly at the man, but then turned when the Professor spoke.

* * *

><p>"While I don't like this situation we've been forced into," Clint said with a frown, "I do believe your course of action is the proper one. If we were to leave here right now and come back later, this infestation will undoubtedly grow. We can not allow that to happen. However I will establish some ground rules." He held up two fingers. "First, no one is to run off on their own. You all must remain in pairs and maintain visual contact with another pair at all times. Second, I have the final say. If I say run, we run. No hesitation. No arguments. Is that understood?"<p>

They all nodded. "Understood."

"Good." Pleased that they had not raised their voices in objection, he smirked. "Make ready. We're about to partake in a bug hunt. Execute with extreme prejudice." Turning off his Scroll, he leaned back and sighed.

"You're a lucky teacher, mate," his pilot remarked. "Most of the brats I usually ferry around would probably have broken down after seeing or hearing about something like this. Not those ones though. Hell, then again I'm not even flying them!" The man laughed, but quickly sobered. "Listen, I had a few friends down there. Promise me that you'll bag a couple of those bastards for me? It'll do my soul good knowing they were avenged, even if indirectly."

Clint smiled sadly and patted the man on the shoulder, "Will do man." Getting up, he reached for his sword and made sure his dust capsules were filled. Pulling on a long overcoat, he pressed the button to open the Bullhead's side hatches. As they slowly opened, he thought back to the conversation he had with Ozpin before he had left. The man had told him that if something were to happen and the information they had turned out to be faulty, that he should let the students decide their course of action. He had argued against it of course, but the man had been insistent. Something about them needing to make their own choices and how they were different from other teams.

He had relented in the end and could now see what the Headmaster had meant. They were indeed different from the other first years he had seen so far, not to mention the two who had talked to him in his office were here as well. He still hadn't figured out how two mere first year students had gotten a hold of his personal files. Personnel files usually required the person requesting them to be next-of-kin or a veteran. They sure as hell weren't family members or former soldiers, so it begged the question as to how they got their hands on it. He shook his head. _(No, I can't get distracted right now by something like that. Focus on the mission first, then worry about everything else. Remember your training.)_

* * *

><p>A Weaver had stopped below where he and Blake were crouched in the rafters. He activated his chainsword and dropped down, bringing the humming blade down on the unsuspecting Grimm's abdomen, slicing it in two. As the arachnid screeched in agony he whipped out his magnum, Honour, and unloaded into the beast's gaping wound. The Weaver quickly quieted.<p>

As the bullet shots echoed Blake dropped down beside him, her eyes darting around looking for any other Grimm. Her ribbon was off exposing her Faunus ears to the bitter cold. She strained her ears trying to detect any abnormal sounds. Hearing none, she tapped Yue on the shoulder twice. She saw him nod and signal at the pair outside.

Cardin and Russel ran in through the hangar doors, their breath misting in front of them, with their weapons drawn.

As they kept watch, Yue and Blake ran to the door that connected the hangar to one of the main buildings. Positioning themselves on either side of the door, they waited a second before Blake pushed it in and rushed inside, Yue following closely behind her.

The other two followed shortly.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile Clint and Yang were engaged in front of the airport's main tower.<p>

Launching herself into the air, Yang brought her fist down into the back of one Weaver. She quickly unloaded an entire clip before jumping off to face another.

Clint rushed in, his sword singing as it lopped the head off the Grimm Yang had just broken. He couldn't be too careful with the damn things. They were annoyingly resilient. Catching a flicker movement out of the corner of his eye he ducked and slashed out. Feeling the blade bite into flesh he withdrew and turned, lopping off the front legs of the Weaver that had attacked him. A quick stab to the thing's head ended its cries.

Meanwhile, Yang had gripped a pair of legs of one Weaver and was using it to bash another into submission. Blood from the Grim splattered all over her as she brought them together for the final time. Releasing her grip, she breathed in deeply and looked around impressed. The two of them had accounted for half a dozen of the things. She waved to Ren and Nora, who had just finished off their own little group, while wondering how her sister was faring.

* * *

><p>"Weiss, this is horrible." gasped Ruby as she clapped her hands over her mouth in horror. They had found the living quarters of the airport.<p>

"Shh, it's ok," Weiss said as she grabbed the younger girl and hugged her close, "We'll avenge them. You can be sure of that." Her eyes were hard as she stared at the webbed bodies strewn all around the room.

Jaune and Pyrrha walked past them and kneeled by one of the bodies while Dove and Sky stood by the entrance to stand guard.

Reaching into his pocket, Jaune took out a small knife and cut open the webbing surrounding the body. Taking care not to get his hands dirty, he carved off a chunk of flesh from the chest of the shrunken corpse. Placing it on a glass slide Pyrrha handed him, he called Alicia on his Scroll. While he waited, he noticed the lack of smell coming from the body. The normal stench of decay was missing. Before he could think further on the matter his Scroll beeped.

"Yes, Jaune?" Alicia answered.

"Alicia, I have a sample here from one of the bodies we've found. Can you analyze it and tell me what time the person died? I want to know how long these Grimm have been here."

"Of course Jaune. Simply place the sample in front of your Scroll's camera."

As he did what she asked, a beam of light shot out and scanned the flesh several times.

"Very good. Please give me a moment."

As he waited, he gave the room a quick sweep. Like the rest of the building they had so far covered, this one was also marked by signs of battle. Bullet holes covered the walls and blood stains still lingered everywhere. Not really seeing anything odd, he looked at his teammates. Ruby seemed to have calmed down and was examining the contents of a desk while Weiss looked over her. Pyrrha had moved from his side and appeared to be collecting what looked to be dog-tags from the bodies. Dove, who was still over by the door with Sky, gave him a quick thumbs up when his gaze passed over.

"Done."

He turned his attention back to the Scroll in his hand. "What can you tell me Alicia," he asked.

The A.I. dipped her head before replying, "Based on what the scans told me this person has been dead for at least seven to eight days. There were also slight traces of venom left in the flesh and I am now analyzing it with my sisters to attempt to make an anti-toxin. I realize that was not something you had asked of me, but I felt it prudent to do so."

Jaune shook his head in surprise. "No, that is quite alright Alicia. In fact I'm glad you did, it was something I was going to ask next. Thank you."

She smiled, "You honor me Jaune. Would you need anything else?"

"No, I don't believe so. We'll going to continue to clean out this facility. Just keep scanning the area and tell us if anything happens alright?"

* * *

><p>"Damn it Yue," Cardin snarled, "I don't like this." He bashed his fist against a desk next to him, causing it to collapse in a dusty heap.<p>

Yue sighed before tapping the papers in his right hand. "I know Cardin. If these records are even partially truthful, this means this takeover of the airport by the Weavers was planned. Someone wanted this to happen." He paused to indicate the safe Silvana had cracked, it's insides filled with many more folders and documents. "What's worse is this might just the tip of the iceberg. We need to take all this with us."

"Agreed." Cardin let out a breath and looked around the room, searching for something they could use. He saw Russel looking at him and waved him over.

"So what's the story Cardin? We about to move out soon?" Russel asked while thumbing the hilts of his daggers.

"No dice Russel. Found some stuff here that could be very important. Help me find something we can lug it around in, aight?"

"Aight Cardin. Will do," the young man let out a small chuckle before moving off.

* * *

><p>As the three young men with her moved around purposefully, Blake sat trying to make out any sounds that came from something other than the four of them. So far, other than the initial Grimm that had been killed in the hangar, their group hadn't encountered any others and it was making her feel uneasy. They had already heard from Professor Clint's group about the small fight that had taken place, but she couldn't believe that was it. Even Jaune's group hadn't found any Grimm.<p>

_(Where are they?)_ she thought with a low growl. Getting up, she looked over to Yue._ (Now that's another puzzle I have.)_ She didn't know how she should approach him about his journal. To come right out and say that she had invaded his privacy wasn't something she considered prudent. She shook her head. She'll just have to wait for the proper moment.

* * *

><p>The three groups met in one of the hangars, their sweeps complete. At their feet lay several bags full of papers.<p>

"I don't understand," Pyrrha frowned, "What would someone have to gain from doing something like this? To kill all these innocent people?" In her knapsack sat several dozen dog-tags she had been able to collect, some of them still covered in blood.

"A reasonable question. One we don't have an answer for." observed Professor Clint as he kept looking around. "But while that is indeed a concern, the main one on my mind is where are all the Grimm? So far we've only accounted for an even dozen. Yet we've found no trace of any others."

Jaune exhaled before speaking. "We found a few Weaver bodies laying in the hallways. Combined with the clear signs of battle throughout the buildings means some of the people here must've been able to fight back, at least temporary. But you're right. The number of Grimm we've encountered thus far is just too few."

Alicia spoke up then, her face on the Scroll Jaune had out. "My sisters and I have run numerous scans over the entire airport and we've picked up no other signatures. The burrowing sounds we detected before have also completely disappeared. We've come up empty handed. For that we apologize."

"I'm sure you did the best you could Domi!" Nora chirped as she balanced Magnhild on her shoulders. "Plus it's not like we're done yet. We still have to check out the town. I'm positive things will start looking up there!"

Everyone grinned at the cheerful girl and shook their heads in amusement.

"Nora's right," Yang laughed, her hands behind her head, "Enough of this doom and gloom. We still have things we gotta do here! Let's look more lively!"

"Agreed. Although these papers need to be taken back to Beacon." said Yue as he indicated the bags still at their feet. "I'm sure Headmaster Ozpin would be very interested in them."

"Quite so." Professor Clint bent down and picked up one of the bags. "After we give these to my pilot to take back, we'll make for the main town. Hopefully Ms. Valkyrie is correct and we will find more favorable conditions there."

They all nodded and walked out of the hangar, Cardin and Russel grabbing the other two bags.

* * *

><p>"This is Clint. Requesting pickup over."<p>

The pilot hurriedly zipped up his pants and ran back to his ship while answering his radio. "Got it, be there in a few." As he climbed in he noticed an odd sticky residue on the floor of the plane. He looked around in confusion before hitting the button that closed the side hatches. He walked into the cockpit and jumped into his seat, clipping on his harness in one smooth motion. In a manner of seconds the correct controls were flipped and the Bullhead lifted off from the ground and flew off.

As he drew closer to the airport, the pilot heard an odd noise behind him. Turning slightly in his seat, he looked through the cockpit entrance and widened his eyes in fear. A large spider Grimm stared back at him before it attacked. He never even got the chance to draw his sidearm.

* * *

><p>As they watched the Bullhead, they noticed with concern on how it started to tilt unsteadily in the air. The concern quickly grew to horror as it began to lose altitude and tumble.<p>

Clint shouted into his Scroll to try and reach the pilot but to no avail. Cursing, he yelled at his students, "GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

They scattered just as the Bullhead roared over them, just mere feet above their heads, and crashed into the airport's main tower. As it crumpled, the dust tanks ruptured and the contents ignited. It exploded with a deafening blast and the resulting concussion tossed them all to the ground. Sharp pieces of metal flew randomly and several cries of pain resounded in the air. Then all grew quiet, except for the crackling of the flames.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks to Mikisanji for giving me the idea for the Weaver Grimm. It seemed obvious, but I never would have thought of it!<strong>

**But I can still use more ideas! The number of Grimm so far in canon is disappointing and I'm positive some of you have thought long and hard about various types YOU would like to see.**

**It's gonna take me a bit longer to get out Upload 13. I need to spend some time and really think how I'm going to construct it. Ideas are already floating around in my head, but I need to solidify them. We'll see what happens! All I gotta say is thank god for winter break!**

**As always. Enjoy! Oh and follow, favorite, review, etc if you can!**

**- Commissar Adrian of the Mordian Iron Guard**


	14. Chapter 8 - Stirrings - Part 2

**So time for a little confession. I screwed up.**

**How?**

**Well to start, I never expected this fan fiction to extend past six chapters. In fact I had a completely different story set up when I first began writing. It kinda just got lost along the way. Which means from like chapter six, I've been winging it. Yep, just writing down whatever I thought would work without any real consideration on how the story progressed.**

**Sorry bout that.**

**Now why am I saying this? Is it because I'm giving the story up? Perhaps quitting this fan fiction and making this my final chapter? Well I'll be lying if that thought hadn't crossed my mind. Seriously it did, numerous times. But I started something and I aim to finish it the right way.**

**So I shall continue writing this, but I think I'm going to start having more fun with it. Possibly speed things up more and really get things going.**

**Anywho, that's it. All my previous chapters I'll leave as is. I mean I'll go back and revise them a bit, but for the most part I'll leave them untouched.**

**Well that's it then. Carry on trooper.**

**Revision**** 1 : Jan 2015**

* * *

><p><strong>Beacon Academy Airship Docks<strong>

**February 12th, 2116: Noon**

The three Centurions started their descent toward the Beacon docks. As soon as they touched down, medical personnel ran from a nearby hangar and into each ship. Several stretchers were quickly wheeled out to waiting ambulances. As soon as the doors on the vehicles were closed, each one made a mad dash for Beacon hospital.

* * *

><p>"And given the situation I deemed it necessary to abandon the mission. That is all Headmaster." finished Clint with a salute. He stepped back and waited for the older man to speak.<p>

Ozpin nodded thoughtfully and reached for his coffee. Taking a sip, he stood to look out the large window behind him and onto the school grounds. His gaze eventually rested on the campus hospital. His grip on the ceramic mug tightened. Several of his dear students lay within the building, their lives hanging on by mere threads. Without turning he said, "You did well considering the circumstances Mr. Eastwood. Had I known that the town had already fallen, I would have never sent you and those students in. You have my sincerest apologies."

"Don't apologize sir," Clint swiftly responded, "The fault does not lie with you. We just had outdated information. It won't be the first time something like that has happened and sadly it won't be the last. I should know." He frowned and clenched his fists. "Still, I wish I could've protected them better."

"Don't we all," muttered Ozpin as his eyes glazed over. They shared a moment of silence before Ozpin inclined his head. "That will be all Mr. Eastwood. You must be exhausted. Do get some rest."

"Headmaster." Clint saluted again and opened the doors to walk out.

As the large doors closed, Ozpin moved back to his desk and turned on the monitor. The file he had been reading popped up. He spent the next few minutes finishing it before taking off his glasses. As he rubbed the bridge of his nose, he wondered where he had gone wrong.

* * *

><p>Yue observed in silence as the nurses tended to his friends. Numerous machines and tubes were hooked up to them, just to keep them alive. Unable to watch any longer, he spun and marched out of the room. As he passed through the doors, he glanced up and looked up at the sign that hung above the doorway.<p>

Intensive Care Unit.

His eyes narrowed and his lips tightened. He already knew what must be done. Pulling out his Scroll, he called Jaune.

* * *

><p>As he left, Blake spared a moment to peek at him from where she leaned against the wall before returning her gaze to Weiss. The girl lay unconscious on one of the beds in the room, several IVs hooked up to her right arm to keep a steady flow of medication going. As Blake stared, her eyes drifted over to the girl's left arm and winced when she saw the stump that ended at Weiss's elbow. A Weaver had been quick enough to get past the girl's guard in the attack that followed the Bullhead crash. The damage done to her forearm had been so severe that they had been forced to amputate the limb off.<p>

Yet, fate had decided to be cruel. Blake blinked hard. The Grimm had injected massive amounts of venom into the girl and despite the hospital's best efforts, enough still remained that even now her body was fighting a desperate battle to stay alive. The doctors had even administered the anti-venom Silvana and the other A.I.s created, but it did little to combat the effects.

Then there was Pyrrha. Blake turned her head to look at the neighboring bed. The red-haired spartan was in a similar state to Weiss. But instead of just a forearm, the girl was missing her entire left leg. Much like Weiss, a Weaver had been able to bite Pyrrha. But what had surprised them was the speed at which the girl cut off her own limb. Sadly, it had not been quick enough.

Blake closed her eyes and sighed deeply. And it didn't end there. Russel, who lay on the other side of Weiss, had the worst injuries. In fact it was a miracle he was even still alive. His gut had been ripped open and they had almost lost him several times on the trip back to Beacon. Only Ren's medical skills had prevented the man from fading completely.

_(Misery loves company,)_ Blake thought while scowling. She opened her eyes and decided that to remain in the ICU would be detrimental to her mental health. Perhaps she would pay the infirmary a visit. Her teammate Yang and a few others had been admitted for lighter injuries. She straightened and silently slipped out of the room.

* * *

><p>As Jaune walked down the corridor to the ICU, he replayed his conversation with Yue over and over again in his mind. The man was right, they had been too lax. The current state some of their friends were in could've been avoided had they done just a little more.<em> (Well I can make up for it here,)<em> he promised himself.

Passing through the doors, he looked around. It was quiet except for the humming of the machines that lay in the room. He tapped the mic attached to his shirt. "Alicia, how am I looking?"

She answered almost immediately. "The nurses and doctors assigned to your current floor are making their usual rounds. Presently they are at the opposite side of the building."

His lips quirked upwards. "Good. Close and lock all the doors leading into the room I'm currently in." Within seconds he heard several clicks behind him. "Thank you Alicia."

A few strides was all it took to reach Pyrrha's bed. He paused to stroke his partner's face. Even bandaged as she was, she still looked beautiful to him.

Lifting his arms, he began to take slower and deeper breaths. His body glowed white and the air around him crackled. Thin tendrils of light extended from his fingers and spread over Pyrrha's body like a spider web. He closed his eyes and focused his mind. Where "modern medicine" had failed, he would succeed.

Starting from her remaining leg, he moved upwards, using his aura to patch up damaged cells. He paid particular attention to her nerve cells. As he worked, Alicia helped him by directing him to the areas where the most damage had occurred. Several minutes passed. The only signs of strain were the sweat drops that formed on his forehead. Finally with a weary sigh, he dropped his arms and opened his eyes. The tendrils disappeared and the light around his body faded.

Floating in front of him was the mass of venom he had extracted from Pyrrha's body. With a flick of his wrist, it flew into a nearby glass container. The venom could prove useful later. He stretched his arms out and cracked his neck while checking his aura levels. Fortunately for him, it wasn't the first time he was forced to do such an operation. _(Good thing too,)_ he thought while turning to regard Weiss and Russel.

"Alicia, how much longer?"

"Approximately ten minutes until the nurses make their way back to your current location."

He nodded. "Plenty of time then. Might as well get started on Weiss." He paused. "Right, before I forget." He turned back to Pyrrha and leaned down to give her a kiss. "I'll be seeing you when you wake up my love."

* * *

><p>"Hey Kitty!" called Yang as she sat up when she spotted Blake entering the room. "What brings you to my neck of the woods?"<p>

Blake smiled and sat on a stool by Yang's bed. "I wanted to see how you were doing Yang. Feeling better?"

"Yea," nodded Yang as she grinned and patted her shoulder, "It was just a simple dislocation. Doc said I should be all healed up by tomorrow."

"That's good. How are Nora and the others?" Blake asked while glancing around the rest of the room. She couldn't see any of them.

Yang leaned back in her bed and chuckled. "Nora "convinced" the doctors to let her out and Ren is right now supervising her. As for Sky and Dove? They both woke up early and were given a clean bill of health. Just little ole me left by my lonesome."

"Well I'm sure you must be bored out of your mind," joked Blake before looking at Yang's bedside table. Her eyes rose as she saw how many cards and presents there were. "Ever the popular one, aren't we Yang? It's only been, what? Five or six hours since we've been back?"

"Eh, it's okay I guess," Yang said as she shrugged, a grin on her face, as leaned over to help herself to a box of cookies. "The attention isn't bad, but it kinda gets annoying after awhile."

"Well I'm sure Ruby would gladly help you polish off any cookies you can't finish." chuckled Blake. She quickly stopped when she noticed how Yang was no longer smiling. "What's wrong?"

"That's the thing," Yang frowned, "I haven't seen Ruby even once since we landed. Not to mention no one else seems to have seen her either." Her eyes creased with worry. "Listen. Maybe I'm over reacting...hell I probably am, but I didn't like the look on her face the entire trip back here and I think it's to do with Weiss."

Blake nodded, "She probably blames herself for what happened."

Yang shut her eyes and grimaced. "You're probably right on that one. I mean Weiss did jump in front of Ruby to protect her after all. Still it's not her fault. Anyone of us would've done the same had we been in Weiss's position." She stared pleadingly at Blake. "Do me a flavor Blake? Go find her and talk to her. I would go myself, but I don't think I'm the right person for the job. Not in this case."

"Alright Yang," promised Blake as she got up. "Leave it to me."

* * *

><p>Cardin rubbed his forehead with one of his hands while the other held onto his Scroll. He let out a groan and sat back in his chair. "I can't believe how stupid we've been," he muttered darkly. He looked out the window and could see that the sun was starting to set. Sliding his chair back to his desk, he turned on his monitor and hit a few keys.<p>

After a moment, a large muscular man appeared on the screen. A long orange ponytail ran down the man's back and numerous scars could be seen on his face. "Cardin?" The man's eyebrows lifted. "Haha! Now this is a pleasant surprise. How are you doing my boy?" His mouth split into a wide grin and his purple eyes sparkled.

"Hey dad." He rubbed the back of his neck and winced. "Listen, I'm sorry but I need your help."

"Oh?" His father's eyes quickly narrowed and his grin disappeared. He leaned closer to the screen. "I take it something bad has happened?"

"Unfortunately. Some of my friends got hurt pretty badly by Grimm. I'm confident that they'll survive, but two of them lost their limbs."

"Hmm." The man stroked his chin and looked off-screen for a second. "And why did you call me about this?"

He reached into his desk and dropped a book in front of him. "Because I know you're one of the smartest people I know. This book about robotics serves as testament to that."

His father chuckled. "Cybernetic limbs then. Something to replace the parts they've lost, correct?" His face turned back to the screen and his grin returned. "Easy enough my boy. What else?"

"Wait. That's it?" His eyes widened.

"Hahaha! C'mon my boy. You just said it yourself! I'm a genius! You know Ironwood right?"

"The general from Atlas? Yea, I've read about him in the papers." He frowned while sitting back in his chair. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything! In fact you already know what I'm going to say about him. That weird girl you told me about a few weeks back. Jenny? Kenny? Sunny?"

"Penny." He corrected.

"Right! Penny!" His father laughed and hit his desk. "She's Ironwoods little pet project! Who do you think came up with her design? Or even built her? Hell I wrote her entire program just like I did for Alicia and the other girls! Anyway something like a leg or an arm is nothing! Now what else?"

He couldn't help but smile. His father's mood was contagious even over a video call. He brought out several papers and scattered them over his desk. "Well I think we could improve on the Centurions. Not to mention I got some new designs I thought up for armor and weapons. Plus I have this idea for the A.I. to..."

Their talk lasted for almost an hour before they finally bid each other good night.

* * *

><p>"Hold that thought Ruby." said Yue as he put a finger to her lips. Ignoring her blushing face, he tilted his head and listened. His eyes crinkled in amusement. "Blake, I know you're there. Remember what I said before. It isn't polite to listen in like that."<p>

A few seconds passed before the girl dropped from the ceiling. As she brushed herself off, she sent a piercing glare in Yue's direction. "How did you find out?"

He tapped his ear and chuckled. "The magic of aura. It can enhance almost anything we do so long as we have the imagination for it. Now what brought you here Blake?" He noticed that her ribbon was off and raised an eyebrow at that observation.

She rolled her eyes and directed her attention to Ruby. Even though it was dim in the library, her night vision allowed her to see everything with perfect clarity. She took the time to study her leader and was surprised to see that she appeared remarkably calm. From Yang's words, she had expected to find the girl in a more saddened state. "Just wanted to check up on Ruby. Yang was getting worried."

Ruby pouted and shook her head. "She doesn't need to worry about me. I bet she thought I was going to do something stupid because of what happened to Weiss, right?" She raised her hands and studied them before closing them tightly. "I'm not so naive that I believe we're invincible. What happened to Weiss hurts me more than I can put into words, but it only shows me how much more I have to go before I become a real huntress. I won't let her sacrifice be in vain!"

Blake's eyebrows threatened to disappear into her hairline. She could hardly recognize the girl in front of her. While it was true that Ruby's body was still the same, the aura she put out was so different. Her mind reeled from how quickly it had changed. Before she could say anything though, Ruby started talking again.

"Still I should visit her." Ruby smiled and laughed. "She's probably more worried than she let on." She winked at Blake and Yue before turning. "I'll see you two tomorrow!" Then she was running, rose petals fluttering behind her as she went.

Silence descended. While Blake was still stunned from the recent development, Yue congratulated himself for giving his friend the push she needed. In his time Ruby was an excellent commander, full of spunk and vigor. He could not let Weiss's injury prevent her from blossoming into the person she was meant to be. _(Besides,)_ he thought with a laugh, _(Jaune should be done patching them up by now. Although...)_ He frowned. Cardin had already told him about the prospect of cybernetic limbs so that was no longer an issue. But Myrtenaster had been shattered . He would need to ask Cardin to look into a replacement weapon.

"Yue, what did you say to her?"

"Hmmm?" He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Blake strangely. "What do you mean?"

She grabbed him by his collar and squinted her eyes to look into his. Her head had to tilt upwards due to the difference in their height. "You know exactly what I mean. What did you say to her?"

A shrug. "Just some words to convince her that crying would not be the best use of her time."

Blake let out a scowl and let go. She turned around and rubbed her arms. It had only lasted for a second, but she had caught a glimpse of something chilling in his eyes. It was something she had seen several times before, but only from people that had lost everything they knew. Her mind went back to the logs he kept. Her mouth opened before she could stop it. "I read your journal." she whispered.

Yue's mind came to an abrupt halt. His eyes froze in the middle of straightening his collar._ (What did she just say? No, she couldn't have. I must have misheard her. Yea, that's it. I just misheard her.)_ He smiled and continued to fix his coat. "I'm sorry? I didn't quite catch that."

"I said I read your journal."

_(Dammit.)_ He winced and closed his eyes. "I have an idea on how you might've gotten your hands on it, but that doesn't matter right now. How much did you read?"

"Enough to understand that you're not exactly who you present yourself to be." She turned back around and stared at him. He was taking it better than she expected. "Also that the same could be said of Jaune and Cardin."

His eyes opened. He walked over to a nearby table and pulled out a chair to sit down. "So, you must've brought that up for some reason. What do you want?"

"Who exactly are you?" She sat down across the table from him, her hands clasped in front of her.

"I am Yue Yun Long. A first year student at Beacon and a member of team RWBY." He chuckled when she growled at him. "Sorry, just give me a second. Hmmm." He tapped his fingers on the table as he thought. "Ok." His back straightened and his eyes became serious. "You are not to tell anyone this. Understand?"

She nodded. "I understand."

"Good. This will take awhile." He launched into his story, not holding anything back. His years at Beacon. His history with her and everyone. The places he had seen and the people he had killed. He told her about the Grimm and how they tore across the land. How cities and armies fell before their sheer numbers. How Atlas and Mistral fell and the hope that disappeared with those kingdoms. How she and the others had died or been lost. The battles that erupted around Vale when they made the city their last bastion. That battle where he had died. And the choice that had been offered to him and his two friends.

When he finally finished, she remained silent. Her mind couldn't process all the information Yue had just unloaded on her. The future? The Grimm? Even her supposed death? It was too much to take in at one time. She gripped her head with her hands and tried to organize her thoughts.

Yue watched her, a sad smile on his lips. Perhaps he had been too hasty in telling her what he did. He stood up and walked over to her. A hand reached out and paused over her head before resting on her ears. He scratched them in the way that he remembered and was rewarded with a quiet purr.

_(Did I just purr?)_ Blake shot up from her chair and gaped at Yue. As her cheeks reddened, she stammered something unintelligible and ran off.

"Yep. That was definitely too much." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Straightening his cap, he left the library. As he left the building, his Scroll rang. It was Jaune. "So, how did it go?"

"..."

"Magnificent."

* * *

><p><strong>*Taps fingers together*<strong>

**Well...that was interesting...right?**

**Heheheh...**

**Sooo...look at that. Unload number 13.. **

**...**

**...**

**Ah hell, this was a trainwreck of a chapter and I know it. Let me just summarize the dang thing so anyone confused can understand what's going on.**

**I left upload 12 on a major cliffhanger and the start of upload 13 had the Centurions return to Beacon. **

**Basically Weiss/Pyrrha/Russel all got hurt pretty badly. Bad enough that "modern medicine" was unable to help them. **

**Now enter Jaune. Can anyone guess his semblance by now? Let me make it easy for you. It's enhanced healing. He is able to use his aura to heal and restore damaged cells/bones/etc. He just can't regrow body parts. **

**Enter Cardin. CYBERNETICS BITCHES. So Weiss will be getting a nice shiny forearm and Pyrrha a nice shiny leg. Also more tech stuff later!**

**Enter Cardin's father. He'll be getting a name soon and yes I'm making him the brains behind Penny. Why? Well RWBY still hasn't told us how or who exactly built Penny so there!**

**Back to Weiss. Myrtenaster is broken so she'll be getting a new weapon. Awesome right? Right. **

**Now Ruby. Why did I do what I did? Simple reason. I needed to have her mature quicker than normal. Maybe it's a cop out...Oh hell it is a cop out. Who am I kidding? But a necessary one!**

**To Blake and Yang scene. Show concern for sister cliche or whatever people call it. Needed it to set up Blake/Yue scene. **

**Which reminds me. Blake and Yue scene? Holy hell that one took me a long time to even think up. Like hit a damn wall! Only by bashing my head repeatedly against it did I manage to write what I did!**

**So what's next then?**

**Tech. More tech. And even more tech. That and some relationship building. Oh and more details. And fighting. And subplots. Oh and going back to that mysterious Grimm. And Soldier's Peak. And Argent...fuck add Cinder and Torchwick in there too. **

**What does that mean then?**

**LONGER CHAPTERS! WOOOO!**

**Ok, I'm done. That's it. No more rambling from Mr. Crazy here.**

**As always. Enjoy!**

**- Commissar Adrian of the Mordian Iron Guard**

**P.S. I don't want to beg...but I'm gonna do it anyway. Please review this chapter. I need to know what you guys think!**


	15. Chapter 9 - Continuation

**Monty Oum. Creator and animator of Dead Fantasy and RWBY as well as other works. Your presence on this world shall be missed. But your creations will continue on and grow. Just because you are not around does not mean that things need to end. Rest in peace knowing your work shall be taken up by others. **

* * *

><p><strong>Right I apologize for the delay. Classes just recently started up for me again and I needed to sift my focus onto them rather than this fan fiction. But I was still able to work on it here and there! <strong>

**Also I was gonna post this earlier today, but then heard of Monty Oum's tragic passing. So I felt that I should add another part to the story because of that. You'll see it when you get to it.**

**That's really it. Now for the chapter.**

**Edit: I had a person ask me why I would post an update to my fanfiction even after hearing about Monty Oum. The answer is simple. The best way to honour his memory is not through tears or pain, but rather by doing something that shows what type of mark he left on you. For me it was getting back into writing. For others it might be drawing, singing, or animating. The list does not end there. So rather than despair, why not make something? You'll be surprised how much better you'll feel.**

* * *

><p><strong>Ozpin's Office<strong>

**February 19th, 2116 : Evening**

Ozpin watched in amusement as the orange haired man seated across from him downed another bottle. "Alright Bishop," he said, "I do believe you've had enough." He gestured to the dozens of empty bottles laying on the table between them and clicked his tongue. "You've already consumed enough beer to stock a small fridge."

Bishop blenched in response and put down the bottle in his hand. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and grinned. "Don't worry about me Oz! I'll need at least another two dozen before I start to even feel a buzz." His grin widened. "Valean beer tastes amazing, but it's too damn weak! Now if only James was around. Atlas beer is something else!" As he started laughing, the door to Ozpin's office opened.

They both turned to see who it was and Bishop's eyes widened. "Well speak of the devil." In marched the very man he had just mentioned.

Ozpin stood and nodded in greeting. "James. Well this is a pleasant surprise. I was told by Glynda that you would be arriving in three days time."

The stern looking gentleman smiled and brushed off some snow that had collected on his white overcoat. The same was done for his jet black hair. "Just happened to catch an earlier flight. In any case it's good to see you again Ozpin." He turned and withdrew a flask from within his coat. "And you as well Bishop," he said, tossing it.

"Hello yourself James," grinned Bishop, catching the silver container. He took off the cap and took a deep whiff of the contents. An eyebrow rose. "Oh? This is some strong stuff. My thanks!" The cap went back on and the flask disappeared into his trench coat.

James bowed his head and focused back onto Ozpin. "So how are preparations coming along for the festival?"

Ozpin's lips curled upwards. "Right down to business as always I see. Well I should expect no less from a General of Atlas. One moment."

He took out his Scroll and opened a few folders until he found the documents he needed. A simple tap presented them on a holo-screen that popped into existence in front of his friend. "There you go James. Just promise me something? Don't go overboard again. We don't need a repeat of last year."

"Of course not Ozpin." James said, his eyes moving back and forth over the screen. A tablet appeared in his hand. "Not bad Ozpin," he said while flicking his eyes from the holo-screen to his tablet screen. "Actually scratch that. I'm impressed. You've left little to chance. Your plans make mine appear shoddy." He smiled and put the tablet away. "Well I apologize, but I must get going."

"What?" Bishop stood, his face twisted in a scowl. "So soon? C'mon James! Have a drink with me at least!"

"Sorry Bishop, but I still need to take care of a few things. Maybe later?" Without waiting for a response, he turned and marched out. The door closed behind him with a deep thump.

Ozpin and Bishop stared at each other and shook their heads. They sank back into their chairs.

"I tell ya Oz," Bishop began, uncapping another bottle, "That rod up his ass is still as hard as ever. Can't even take the time to drink a round with an old bud." He grunted before taking a sip.

Ozpin shifted in his seat and swiveled around to look outside. The snow was still falling steadily. "Now, now. James is a busy man. We both know that. He gets caught up in his work like I do sometimes. It's just something that makes him who he is." Rubbing the bottom of his chin he asked, "In any case, how was your work with Miss Schnee and Miss Nikos?"

Bishop stopped drinking and lowered his bottle. He smiled. "Nothing to it Oz. Went as right as rain." He laughed and tapped the side of his head. "The new limbs are state of the art. If anything those things will be more useful than their previous limbs!" He paused and shrugged his shoulders. "Well they will have to go through a series of adjustment periods, but that's really it. They'll be fine if their eyes were any judge of their character!"

Ozpin sighed with relief. "Good."

* * *

><p>Weiss sat on her bed looking at her new forearm. Her eyes were narrowed as she took in every detail of it. Appearance wise, aside from the silver color, it was identical to the limb she had lost. As she tried making a fist, she frowned at how much effort it took her. She shook her head and sighed. Cardin's father had said it would take some time for the arm to properly synchronize with the rest of her body.<p>

She laid down and closed her eyes. Her mind went back to the day she had been rushed to the hospital along with Pyrrha and Russel. She only could recall bits and pieces of the whole ordeal, but the parts she did remember were remarkably clear. How the doctors had recoiled in horror. How a nurse had fainted with shock. She could remember them saying that her chances were slim and how she would die. _(And yet, here I am. Still alive.) _she thought with a smirk. She sat back up just in time to see the door open.

"Hey Ruby," she said, her partner walking into the room.

"Heya Weiss," Ruby said with a wave, "Feeling better?" She unclipped Crescent Rose from her back and laid it against the wall. Lowering her hood, she sat down besides Weiss. The bed creaked slightly from the added weight.

Weiss nodded. "I am. Thank you." She leaned back on the bed, her arms braced behind her, and said, "Honestly I'm just glad to be out of the hospital. The place was getting on my nerves. The doctors kept on asking me how I fought off that poison." Her brow creased and her voice hardened. "As if I have the answers they want. I'm still not sure myself on how I was able to survive."

The two girls sat there quietly, both thinking about what had happened during the last week. The silence stretched on until Ruby got up abruptly. She spun around and stood in front of Weiss, her hands on her hips. She stared at her partner for a few seconds. Her head shook. "It doesn't matter."

Weiss looked up and cocked her head to one side. "I'm sorry?"

"It doesn't matter," Ruby said again. She reached forward and tapped Weiss's chest. "What matters is that you are alive. Who cares how it happened?" Her eyes dropped to the ground. "If they really press the issue, just tell them it was a miracle. Cause that's what it felt like to me. A miracle."

"Ruby..." Weiss reached out to try and console the girl. But before she could make contact, Ruby looked back up. Weiss quickly withdrew her hand and stared at her in surprise. The girl's eyes were suddenly intense.

"I made a promise you know." Ruby said.

"Oh?"

Ruby nodded. "That I would become a better leader. What happened to you was my fault and I intend to make up for it."

Weiss huffed and narrowed her eyes. "Ruby it was no-" She stopped mid-sentence when she felt Ruby's index finger land on her lips.

"Let me finish Weiss." When Ruby saw her nod, the girl withdrew her finger and continued. "People have already told me multiple times that it wasn't my fault. But I know it was. I was too focused on the enemy in front of me and I did not pay enough attention to my surroundings. If it wasn't for you, I don't know what could've happened. But because of that I let you, a teammate and my partner, get hurt. In that area, I failed in my position as a leader."

Ruby smiled and shook her head again. "I know I'm young, but that's no excuse. I still don't know why Ozpin picked me to be leader." She chuckled. "Perhaps I won't ever find out. But it's time I really started acting like one. Fancy combo moves and a knack for weapons are only small things compared to what I should be doing."

Weiss couldn't believe her ears. "Ruby, I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything Weiss. Just do me a favor?"

"A favor?"

Ruby bent down and poked her in the side. "You're all skin and bones," she teased as she grinned. "All that hospital food didn't do any favors for your looks."

"H-how dare you!" stammered Weiss. Her cheeks reddened and she crossed her arms in annoyance. _(Why that rapscallion!)_

"Yes, I dare. That's why you're going to follow me to the cafeteria to get something to eat!" Ruby pulled her off the bed and dragged her over to the door. "After all, leaders are supposed to make sure their teams are well fed!"

"H-hey! Stop pulling! Ruby!"

* * *

><p>Yue thumbed his chain sword off and clipped it to his side. His heart was still beating furiously and he took several deep breaths to try and calm it down. The last hour had been more strenuous than he had anticipated.<p>

Glancing at his sparring partner, who was by her bag sipping from a bottle, he marveled at the progress she had already made. Her new limb had only been attached earlier that morning and yet it didn't even seem to hamper her. _(Although, I guess it isn't too surprising. Her ability to adapt was always impressive.)_

He laughed quietly and walked over to the side of the arena where his bag lay. Crouching down, he wondered which pocket he had put his towel in. After a few seconds of rummaging around, he found it and started to wipe the sweat from his face and neck.

"Hey, Yue."

"Hmm?" He lifted his head and saw Pyrrha standing in front of him. While she still had her practice armor on, Milo and Akouo were already stowed away on her back and her duffel bag hung from one of her shoulders. "What's up Pyrrha?" he asked, still wiping his neck.

She bowed slightly and said, "Thank you for helping me tonight with this. I appreciate it."

"It is quite alright Pyrrha." Tossing the towel back into his bag, he zipped it and picked it up. Standing up he said, "Although I do admit to being a little curious as to why you asked me. Was Jaune unavailable?"

Pyrrha rubbed one of her arms and looked away. "You could say that," she said quietly.

Yue sighed and crossed his arms. "Pyrrha. I can tell you're hiding something. What's going on? Did he do something like try and serenade you in front of the entire cafeteria again?" It was a poor attempt at humor and he knew it. Yet he was rewarded with a chuckle from the red head.

"No, no. Nothing like that. Just..." Her voice dropped off, but her lips continued to move.

He raised one of his eyebrows. "Pyrrha, you must speak up. I'm afraid I can't hear what you're trying to say."

She tightened her lips and looked to the stands that surrounded the arena. After a sweep, she fixed him with her eyes. "Yue," she began hesitantly, "You've known Jaune for a long time right?"

"Correct," he replied, wondering where this was going.

"Then you should know what he is capable of, right?" Pyrrha's hands reached up and tightened around her duffel bag strap.

He held up a hand and stared quizzically at her. _(Jaune must've done something big to unsettle her like this. But what?) _"Pyrrha. I'll be frank. Your question concerns me. Has Jaune done something he shouldn't have?"

A moment and then, "I can still feel him inside me."

His mind felt like it had just been slammed into a brick wall. "I-I'm sorry?" he exclaimed, his body jerking backwards.

It only took a second. Pyrrha widened her eyes and her cheeks flamed. "NO! That's not what I meant to say!"

"Oh thank the Allfather." He rubbed his forehead and winced. "I was going to say how I am not the person to turn to for advice when it comes to...acts of compassion." He kneeled down and picked up his bag; he had dropped it in his shock. Straightening, he asked, "So what did you mean to say then?"

"It might be easier to show you." She lifted her arms and breathed out slowly. One of her arms began to glow red while the other one...

_(Jaune, you didn't...)_ He stepped back and rubbed his eyes. When his hand lowered, he realized he wasn't just seeing things. His body stiffened. Pyrrha was indeed manifesting two different types of aura at the same time. "When?"

She dispelled the auras and lowered her arms. "After the day I 'miraculously' recovered." Her eyes remained fixed on him. "Jaune did something, didn't he?"

His mouth twitched. "Yes, I guess he did." His body relaxed and he motioned with his hand for Pyrrha to follow him. "We have a few things to talk about it seems."

* * *

><p>Yue dipped his head as the waitress brought over their drinks. "Thank you very much miss."<p>

The waitress bowed, her hands clasped in front of her over a serving tray. "Of course sir. Would you need anything else?"

"No. Thank you for asking."

"Certainly sir." She smiled and walked off, no doubt to serve another customer.

He took a sip from his cup and sighed contently. _(Magnificent.)_ Noticing that Pyrrha hadn't touched her cup yet, he grinned and said, "Go on Pyrrha. This cafe is the best one on campus. Just one taste and you'll find out why."

Watching her take a tentative sip, he was pleased when a look of awe appear on her face. "See? The baristas here are some of the best in all of Vale. Their concoctions are heavenly."

While she continued to sip, he reached into his bag and took out a small spherical object. It was silver in color with four buttons on one side. Pressing one of those buttons, he set it in the middle of the table. It hummed briefly before quieting.

Pyrrha lowered her cup and stared inquisitively at the object. "What is that Yue?" she asked while leaning forward in her chair.

"Just humor me if you would Pyrrha, but please press this here." Pointing with a finger, he indicated the button opposite of the one he had just pressed.

Her head tilted to one side slightly, but she did what he said. When her index finger made contact with the button, he saw her body jump slightly.

*My apologies Pyrrha. Are you alright?* He chuckled when she jumped again and almost spilled her drink. *Relax Pyrrha, it's just me.*

"Yue?" Her mouth dropped open. "How are you doing that? It feels like...you're in my mind." She shook her head. "But that can't be possible."

*Mmm. Perhaps experiencing it would be better than a long winded explanation.* He clasped his hands together and rested them on the table. *Just follow my directions and you'll see what I mean.*

*Close your eyes. Form a thought within your mind. Pretend to write it down on a piece of paper. Something simple will work.* A pause. *Good. Now imagine tying that piece of paper around a spear. Do you have it?* She nodded once. *Ok, now take that spear and picture throwing it at me. With all the force you can muster!*

*YUE!*

His mind rang from the power she had put into the thought and he winced in discomfort. *That...was good Pyrrha. Although perhaps it was sent with a bit too much force. Try again, but easier this time.*

*Yue?*

*Better.* He smiled. *Now let's try that a few more times.*

The next few minutes were spent in relative silence. Yue calmly finished his first cup and asked the waitress for a refill when she passed around. Pyrrha meanwhile had seemed to disregard her drink completely and had her eyes screwed shut the entire time.

*Very good Pyrrha. I do believe that you have gotten the hang of it.* He looked with amusement at the how she was panting from her exertion. *Do not fret. You will be able to master this with time. Why compared to Jaune, you're already farther than him when he first learned this.*

*Jaune knows how to do this as well?*

He nodded once. *Of course. In fact my whole reason doing this ties in with what you said back in the arena.* A hand gestured toward the object that still sat at the middle of the table. *I might be hoping for too much, but can you guess what that is now?*

*It's a...link?* She rubbed her chin. *No, perhaps a connector would better describe it.*

He nodded again. *You're pretty insightful Pyrrha. Now what does it connect?* He raised a hand. *No, don't answer. As you know aura is the manifestation of our souls. We can use it for defense and in other ways such as temperature control or healing. But what is known to only a few is that aura can also be linked with another person or persons. What's more, you can then go beyond that and actually link souls together. And with each type of connection comes certain benefits.* He raised an eyebrow. *Want to take another crack at it?*

Her eyes widened and she began to slowly nod. *I think I do. This device here. It...* She hesitated, her hands seeming to try and grasp something in front of her. *It's connecting our auras right now, isn't it? That's how we're able to converse like this.*

*Not bad Pyrrha. Although it is more of amplifier than a connector.* A finger tapped against his lips. *Hmm. Well the idea is still the same. In any case, yes. An interesting use of aura isn't it?*

*It is.* She drummed her fingers against the table, her nails clicking against the oak surface. *Wait.* She turned and looked around the cafe. They were seated near a corner, but several people were near them enjoying their own drinks. *This is a closed connection. No matter what we say, no one can listen in, can they?*

*Correct. In any case I've deviated a little from my initial purpose of doing this. Now there are other benefits to connecting auras together besides just this. Such things I will leave for another time though. Rather I want to focus on the second connection. The linking together of souls.*

She cut in. *Don't tell me. Jaune linked ours, hasn't he?*

He dipped his head. *Yes. Yes he has.*

Pyrrha sat there silently, her head turned to the ceiling. Suddenly she started to laugh, clutching her sides as she did so.

_(Well that's certainly not the reaction I was expecting.)_ He looked on, wondering what had prompted the laughter. In the meantime, while she was doubled over in mirth, he ordered another drink from the waitress who had walked over to see what the commotion was about.

After a few minutes her laughter tapered off into a series of giggles until it stopped completely. *Ah, I apologize Yue.* She wiped a tear from her eye and smoothed out her hair. *I just couldn't contain myself.*

*It's alright Pyrrha. Although I am curious as to what you found so funny.* He crossed his legs and scratched his head. *Try as I might, I am drawing a blank.*

*It's just that I'm so relieved.*

*Relieved?*

Pyrrha nodded, her eyes sparkling. *Yes. I feared that he had done something dangerous. But to find out it was just him tying us together. I can't put into words how happy I am to hear that.*

Scowling, he was about to tell her the negatives of such a connection, but stopped when he looked at her eyes. He sighed and leaned forward. A press of a button and the connection was severed. After stowing the device back into his bag, he said, "Just be careful alright?"

"Of course."

He smiled and waved over the waitress. "Good. Now care for another cup?"

* * *

><p>"Man Silv. That new body of yours is something else. I can't even tell you're a robot!" Yang shook her head in amazement and leaned against one of the doors that lead into the training hall.<p>

"Thank you Yang." Silvana lifted her hands and stared at them curiously. "I must admit this 'feeling' of having my own body is intriguing. Something like this was not within my calculations. I'm not sure what emotion I should be displaying currently."

Yang smiled and took the A.I.s hands in her own. They were remarkably cool to the touch. "I'll say happy Silv. Think about it! You're no longer just an observer, but an actual member of our team now!"

"Hmm. I guess you are right Yang. Thank you once again."

"No prob Silv. Still. Cardin's pop really gave you a lot of armor didn't he?" She released Silvana and gave the A.I. a once over. "I hope you can take all that plate off. Otherwise it'll be weird to take you around town."

"Not to worry Yang." Silvana reached up and grabbed one of her pauldrons. It came off with a quiet click. "These pieces are magnetic. All I must do is reverse the polarity and then they become very simple to take off. I also have what would be called 'normal wear' for forays into town."

"Oh? What type?" Yang leaned forward, interested in what clothing Cardin's pop had thought to provide.

"I believe you would refer to such things as 'suits' and 'kimonos'."

Yang smacked herself in the face with one of her hands. " I don't even know what I expected." She lowered her hand and put it on the A.I.'s shoulder. "Listen, first thing we do tomorrow is go to town and get you some real clothes! Alright?"

"If that is what you wish Yang, I have no quarrel with such an action."

"Alright then! Now with that out of the way, let's get down to why we came here in the first place!" She pushed in the door she had been leaning against. "I want to see what that body of yours can do!"

* * *

><p>"Hmm. What do you think Velv?" asked Cardin, scratching his head with a pencil. He was reasonably sure that everything had been accounted for, but it never hurt for a second opinion. Especially if that opinion came from one of the smartest girls he'd ever known, both now and in the future.<p>

The girl in question, who stood near him, didn't answer and continued to look at the many diagrams and blueprints that were laid out on the table in front of them. One of her long ears twitched and she picked up one of the blueprints. "Cardin, I don't believe we went over this one yet. Could you enlighten me?"

He squinted at the paper in her hand. "Hmm. I believe that's the Iron Halo. It's an older design of mine. Don't know how that got in there." He made to grab it, but missed when she pulled it back "Hey!"

"Hush you." Velvet grinned and looked down, reading the paper. "My. This idea is ingenious. A device that that not only amplifies the natural defensive properties of aura, but is also able to provide the user a personal force field? The calculations all seem to be spot on as well. How come you didn't bring this up?"

Cardin leaned forward and swiped the paper from her hands. Frowning, he sighed and said, "Because I already made a prototype and tested it. The force field, when generated, drains too much of a person's aura to use. Even Jaune, who has massive reserves of aura, would only be able to use it three or four times before exhausting himself. As for someone like you or I? One use and we'll be on the ground gasping."

"Hmm." Velvet pressed her index finger to her cheek and narrowed her eyes in thought. "Perhaps not." She held out her hand and waited expectantly.

He sighed again and handed the paper back to her.

"Thank you love." Folding it up, she tucked it away into one of her pockets. "I want to look at it more in depth. Study your calculations a bit more deeply. I might catch something you could've missed."

"Well don't hurt yourself trying," he said, rolling his eyes. "Still you haven't answered my question yet. What do you think?"

She paused before staring at him, her eyes serious. "I need to be honest here Cardin." One of her hands gestured at the table while the other patted the pocket she had put the Iron Halo blueprint in. "Some of these items worry me. They use concepts or theories that are only just now being put into practice. Yet judging from what I've seen tonight, you've already grasped how they are all supposed to work. How is that possible?"

Cardin puffed out his chest and put his hands on his hips. "Ha! Remember who I am Velv! I'm the son of Bishop Winchester! The man who turned Winchester Armament into one of the three largest weapon manufacturers in the world! It should be no surprise if his son was a genius! Hahahaha...ha...ha." He really didn't like the look in her eyes.

"Cardin, I'm not kidding. We've been together for a few months now and I've learned to pick up on when you're lying." Her lips twitched briefly. "Partially thanks to my Faunus heritage. Nonetheless I know you're lying now. Tell me the truth."

He quailed under her gaze. Part of his mind was amused on how he was feeling threatened from a girl that was a full foot shorter and easily a hundred pounds lighter, but the rest knew better. Even with his current advantages over his old self, he knew Velvet was a force to be reckoned with. While she was quiet and shy in social settings, when it came to fighting or engineering, there were few that could match her intensity. Trying to buy some time he said, "Well what do you think is the truth?"

She eyebrows rose. "Mmm. Is that how you want to play it, dear?" Her smile was almost predatory in nature.

Cardin paled. _(Stay calm man. Just stay calm. Remember, she wouldn't hurt her boyfriend. Right?)_

They stared at each other, neither of them saying anything.

As the minutes crept by, sweat started to roll down Cardin's face and he found that it took more effort to breath. Velvet's eyes had remained fixed on his the entire time and he felt himself slipping. Unable to take it any longer, he threw up his hands and shouted, "Fine!"

Velvet beamed and waved at him to continue.

"I'll definitely get some flak from my old man if he ever finds out so don't tell anyone, ok Velv?" He rubbed the back of his neck and winced. "I really don't want to disappoint him."

"My lips shall remained sealed Cardin."

"Alright. Well my family is deeply involved when it comes to anything related to the military. Makes sense when you think about it." He shrugged before continuing. "Because of this my dad often gets requests to make experimental devices and others things of that nature. Believe it or not, but when it comes to technology and the like, the military is often years ahead of anything normal people can get their hands on. So things that scientists out in the public eye practice are usually five to ten years behind the ones that work behind the scenes."

She cut in. "So you mean to say the information we get now, here in school and in other public areas, it's already obsolete? That is troubling." She frowned and rested her chin on a fist.

"Kinda is, truth be told." He shook his head. "Anyway, sometimes my dad asks me for help. Something about how a second mind can put things into perceptive. Due to this I got exposed to things that normal people around my age won't ever see. Make sense?"

"Mmm. It does. Although..." She stepped forward and pressed her hand against his chest. "I know you're not lying, but you're still hiding something from me. I can tell. But," she smiled and turned to lean against the table, her hands grasping the edges, "I won't pry anymore. We're all entitled to our own secrets."

His body slumped in relief. "Thanks Velv."

"Don't thank me just yet love." She pointed at the diagrams and blueprints still scattered on the table. "I still haven't told you my thoughts on each individual item." Her head spun to look at him. She winked playfully. "We're going to be here for awhile."

* * *

><p>Jaune tip toed out of his dorm room and closed the door gently. He didn't want to wake up Ren or Nora. Taking out his Scroll, he double checked the message he had gotten just a few minutes earlier.<p>

_There is something I must ask of you. Meet me on the roof. - Blake _

Wondering what the girl could possibly want from him, he tucked the Scroll back into his pocket and made for the stairs. _(I suppose I'll find out soon enough.)_

* * *

><p>Blake gazed up at the stars and sighed. She had avoided Yue almost all week, yet her mind was still a mess when it came to what she thought of him. Reaching up, she touched her ribbon and felt the ears that lay underneath. Her cheeks reddened when she remembered him scratching them in a way that had felt so pleasant. It was the first time anyone had done something like that.<p>

Sighing again, she put lowered her hand and leaned against the roof's railing. She had already come to accept that she had stronger than normal feelings for Yue. The way her heart ached whenever she thought of him served to remind her of that.

_(Then there's the whole 'future' aspect.) _Dropping her head, she re-ran everything he had said. She still couldn't believe everything he had told her, but parts of it made sense. There were just still some lingering doubts and that's why she wanted to talk to Jaune.

Hearing footsteps coming up the stairs behind her, she turned around and waited. She waved in greeting when Jaune's face came into view.

"Hey Blake," he called out, walking over to where she stood. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to clarify a few things."

"Oh?"

* * *

><p>The inside of team JNPR's room was dark and the only light came from the moon that shone in through the window. Both Pyrrha's and Jaune's bed were still untouched, while on the third bed in the room Nora's body was twisting and turning.<p>

"REN!" Nora threw off her covers and reached out in front of her. Tears were streaming down her face. Looking around frantically, she realized that he wasn't next to her in their bed. Her face paled. _(No! Don't tell me that nightmare was!)_ Panicking, she jumped off the bed and was about to tear out of the room when the bathroom door opened.

"Nora? What's with all the yell-"

She didn't let him finish his sentence as she threw herself at him. The force of her blow sent the both of them falling to the ground. Clutching his shirt, she buried her face in his chest and cried, her tears flowing freely.

"N-nora? What's wrong?"

She lifted her head and stared up at him, hiccupping still from her sobs. His eyes stared back at her, full of concern. Suddenly realizing the position they were in, she forced herself to relinquish her hold on him. "I-I'm sorry Ren." she said, smiling apologetically as she tried getting up. She gasped in surprise when his arms wrapped around her body and pulled her back down. "R-ren?"

"Shh. Just stay still."

Nodding, she rested her head against his chest. She heard his heart as it beat, its rhythm familiar and comforting. Her fear from before was soon forgotten as she relaxed. She took a deep breath and smiled. The faint smell of lavender was still the same.

They lay there on the floor for a time, until Ren asked, "Are you alright now Nora?" His hand continued to stroke her hair.

"Yea. I'm sorry for tackling you like that."

"Don't be. But mind telling me why you did?"

She hesitated, chewing her lips nervously. Finally she said, "I had a dream. One where you went far away and left me behind." Her hands grabbed at his shirt again. "When I woke up and you weren't there, I thought perhaps it wasn't a dream." Tears started to form on her face. "I'm sorry."

"Shh. You have nothing to apologize for Nora." He lifted head up by her chin and smiled. "Besides I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be here for you." He sat up, bringing her with him. A smile still on his face, he leaned down and gently kissed her. Chuckling at her rapidly reddening cheeks, he said, "Now come on. It's late still, let's get back to bed."

Speechless, she could only nod.

* * *

><p>Having bid Bishop a good night, Ozpin settled back into his chair. Picking up his coffee cup, he was about to take a sip when his monitor beeped. <em>(Odd. I wasn't expecting a report tonight.)<em> Sighing, he placed his cup down and pressed a button on his desk to pull up his display. After waiting for the message to decrypt, he started to read. The further down he got, the worse he felt. By the end his hands were starting to shake uncontrollably. Making sure to make a copy, he deleted the original message and then forced his body to calm down.

Picking up the cup again, he sipped from it and tried to think. While the information was concerning, he still had time to create counter measures against it. _(Still an unknown Grimm sub species? It's unfortunate that I don't have any other information about it other than it exists.)_ He suddenly froze mid-sip. _(Wait. Mr. Eastwood. His reason of discharge. Hmm. Perhaps I can get some information after all.)_

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><p><strong>So that's upload 14. What did you guys think? I've really been looking at my writing style and trying to change it for the better. Another reason why it took so long to release this one. Was going our my previous chapters and touching them up. Still doing that actually. Mind, you don't have to go and re-read them. It's mostly small changes.<strong>

**As always. Enjoy! Oh and follow, favorite, review, etc if you can! No seriously, out of all those things I would love it if you could review my chapters. Tell me anything! Good or bad. I can take it!**

**- Commissar Adrian of the 101st Mordian Iron Guard**


	16. Chapter 10 - Effects - Part 1

**Sorry for the small update. Just been really busy with school and work lately. Then combine that with writer's block and...yea. Still it hasn't been a total loss! Been able to edit and revise other parts of my story and I now have a real path for future chapters. **

** Guest: While they are not at the same levels compared to their future selves, they are still holding back a decent amount of their power/skills. But you'll start to see them "let loose" in future fights.**

**Will say a few other things at the end of the chapter!**

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><p><strong>Soldier's Peak<strong>

**February 19th, 2116 : Night**

Torchwick sighed heavily and closed his Scroll. It had been a long day and he was eager to retire to his room. Yet he still had a few things to finish before he could do so. Stifling a yawn, he looked around the warehouse he had been given to use. It was one of the only buildings in the town that could hold the Bullheads he used for his operations.

It bustled with activity as White Fang members moved about, purpose in every step. While he wasn't fond of what their group represented, he had to admire them for their dedication. They were some of the hardest and most efficient workers he'd ever seen.

Leaning back against a wall, he reached into his coat and took out a cigar. Taking a moment to smell it, he smiled from its pungent aroma. Feeling around in his pockets while lightly gripping the cigar in his mouth, he grunted in satisfaction when he found his double-bladed cutter. After neatly clipping off the head from the cigar, he put the cutter back into his pocket and brought out his lighter. Lighting the cigar, he took a puff and savored the taste. _(I needed this.)_

As he continued to watch over the activities in the hangar, particularly the unloading of loot from his latest heist, his palms started to tingle. Almost without realizing it, his free hand went down to pick up his cane that had been laying on a nearby crate. Glancing upwards, he was able to sense his partner's presence on the roof. *Neo*

*Yes Roman?*

*It's time. Cinder's going to be here soon. You know what to do.*

*Of course Roman.*

Feeling her move off, he straightened and prepared to greet his employer and her lackeys.

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><p>Meanwhile far above Soldier's Peak, hidden amongst the clouds, hovered an airship with the markings of the Vale Royal Navy. Measuring at almost two hundred meters the destroyer, <em>VAS Lancaster<em>, was one of the larger airships that Vale had in service.

It had a long but narrow body that was slightly curved at the top, thicker at the back, and thinned out in the front. Two small wings came out at the middle of the ship while two larger ones came out near the back, each of them with independent engine nacelles. Along it's sides ran several gun batteries and it's front was affixed with a prototype rail gun.

Sent by the Vale High Council, it's original mission had been to support the Vale Armed Forces in an effort to eradicate the Grimm infestation. At first some of the Council had argued against it. They said that such a display was overkill for such a small problem, but a few choice words from several individuals had quickly silenced the naysayers.

Yet, on the day the operation was supposed to commence, it had been quickly aborted when the cameras and scanners on the Lancaster picked up White Fang activity in the town. Intrigued, the Council had then assigned a new mission to the vessel. Monitor the town and report back the moment something significant occurred.

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><p>Reading from her Scroll while walking onto her ship's bridge, Captain Mirabelle Arc paused to nod at the two Valean Marine bridge guards who saluted her as she entered. The doors they guarded smoothly shut close once she had passed.<p>

She took a quick glance around the familiar bridge of her vessel, dimly lit by blue overhead lights and yellow consoles. Most of the stations were manned with the men and women she had come to call family. Nodding at her XO, Commander Cera, who returned the gesture, she took a seat at her command chair.

Still reading from her Scroll, she briefly scrolled through the various reports that detailed the status of her ship. _(Hmm. Nothing out of the ordinary.)_ The ship's reactor core was operating at full capacity, weapons were calibrated and primed, and the dust shields were at one hundred percent. Smiling, she put her Scroll down and directed a question to a comms officer. "Ensign, how's it looking down on the ground?"

"Just picked up human movement coming from the town hall Captain. Appears to be three individuals. Shall I put it up on the main holo-screen?"

"Make it so."

Moving her eyes to rest on the bridge's main viewer, she raised an eyebrow when the video feed materialized. "Oh? Now who do we have here?" Mirabelle motioned to the Ensign. "Go back a few frames. There! Focus on the face in the middle."

Getting off her command chair, she walked off the platform it was raised on to get a better look at the face frozen on the holo-screen. "Well, well, well. Cinder Falls. What ARE you doing here? Hmm. Well no time like the present as they always say."

Spinning, she fixed her XO in her gaze. "Commander. Prep our gunships for launch. It looks like we have an international celebrity down there. Wouldn't do to keep her waiting."

"Oh and I guess someone can tell the Council who we've found." Mirabelle added after a second of contemplation.

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><p>"We're moving. Tell the White Fang to pack up everything in town and make ready. It's time to move on to the next step in my plan." Without another word Cinder turned and walked off, Emerald and Mercury following close behind her.<p>

Torchwick scowled at their backs and put on a good show of being disappointed and annoyed. Once he was sure that they had left the building, he dropped the pretense and took another puff from his cigar. Noticing that some of the White Fang members had stopped working, he glared at them and said, "Well? What are you slack jawed idiots looking at? Get back to work!" He smirked at how they rushed to make themselves scarce.

Feeling another yawn come up, this time he made no attempt to hide it. As he stretched his mouth wide open and threw up his arms, Neo's voice entered his mind.

*Roman.*

He finished the yawn and frowned. *Neo? That was quicker than I expected. Give me a second.* He walked over to the warehouse's office and shut the door behind him. A quick sweep told him that he was alone. *Alright Neo. Go ahead.*

*We might have a problem Roman. I went to the mines and searched around like you wanted. But everything is gone. The equipment, the scientists, papers, even the specimens. And it doesn't look it just happened overnight.*

*Blast. That's not good.* Stubbing out his cigar and throwing it into a waste bin, he went over to an empty chair and sat down. Forming a steeple with his hands, he let out a disgruntled sigh. Cinder's orders had already caught him off guard and now Neo's news gave him another headache to worry about. *Can you give me an estimate on when they might've packed up?*

*Best estimate I can give you is around a five or six days ago.*

_(So just a few days after those kids from Beacon got hurt, huh?)_ He nodded and was about to respond when the backs of his palms tingled again. He shot up from the chair and paled. _(These signatures. There's no way.)_ Running out of the office, he began to hear screams coming from outside the warehouse. _(No.__Cinder you didn't...)_ Gritting his teeth, he began sprinting to the Bullhead that was still being emptied.

*Neo! We're getting out of here!*

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><p>"My God. What are those things?" gasped Mirabelle Arc, her eyes widening in horror.<p>

No one answered her for everyone on the bridge had stopped what they were doing to stare in silence at the main holo-screen. White Fang members were being slaughtered before their eyes by creatures none of them had ever seen before. Even as they watched, they saw one creature impale a Faunus on its claws before ripping the man in two. Another creature caught a fleeing woman and bit down, crushing her head in its massive jaws.

Mirabelle tore her eyes from the screen and looked down at her crew and frowned. _(Not good.) _They were all transfixed by the events unfolding down below on the ground. Knowing she had to take action, she took a deep breath and roared, "All hands to battle-stations!"

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><p><strong>And gonna leave it there. Hate me if you want, but it won't change anything!<strong>

**Anyway the "few things I have to say."**

**Remnant as we know has 4 kingdoms; Vale, Vacuo, Mistral, and Atlas. Yet we're still not sure if there is a "royal family" in each kingdom. That means there might or might not be a King, Queen, Prince, Princess/etc. I am going to go on the assumption there isn't one and that the word "kingdom" is done as homage to the past and nothing more. Instead the governing is done by a council that is made up of influential members of society. People who have made large impacts on the world or who have the power to do so. This is be a point I will touch on more as this goes on.**

**Next. The destroyer _VAS Lancaster_. First off, yes that name is based on the RubyxJaune ship name. Why? I like the pairing even though I'm not using it in this story and felt that using it for an actual ship name would be pretty cool. Anyway I always imagined that each kingdom had its own army,navy,air force much in the way modern countries do. So given their constant battle with Grimm, large warships would be a plausible existence. The _Lancaster _is simply going to be one of the many warships I will be using now going forward. Might see some airship to airship battles as well as airship vs Grimm. Actually scratch that. You will.**

**Mirabelle Arc. Yes. She is indeed related to Jaune Arc and is one of his seven sisters. We've been told a few times that Jaune's family is well known for being famous heros/generals/warriors in the past. I mean there's a statue of his ancestor in front of Beacon! Then there's the fact we never exactly found out how old his siters are. So an older sister that is in command of one of Vale's larger warships? I would expect it! We'll see more of his family later on.**

**Torchwick and Neo. If you haven't connected the dots already, let me do it for you. Yes. They share auras in the way I described in my previous chapter. I'm still on the fence on whether or not Neo really is mute so this is my version of a "get out of jail free" card.**

**Hmm. There are other things I can cover, but those are the most important in my mind. The rest will be made known as time goes on. Bet you're sick of hearing that huh? xD**

**As always. Enjoy! Oh and follow, favorite, review, etc if you can! No seriously, out of all those things I would love it if you could review my chapters. Tell me anything! Good or bad. I can take it!**

**- Commissar Adrian of the 101st Mordian Iron Guard**


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